Should we be worried about Chris Jones’ injury?
By Matt Conner
Defensive tackle Chris Jones came into training camp unable to practice due to injuring and having subsequent surgery on his knee.
The tone heading into training camp certainly wasn’t a panicked one. When trainer Rick Burkholder and head coach Andy Reid first addressed the media on Monday and told the news of Chris Jones, the words were measured, the posture relaxed. The news, taken at face value, read otherwise: defensive tackle Chris Jones was going to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to recent knee surgery.
Despite the calm assurances from those on the podium, the news itself should read as alarming at first. Chris Jones is the new rock along the defensive line. Last year’s rookie phenom drew rave reviews from anyone watching close enough to know his two sacks were a serious under-representation of his actual production on the field. Seth Keysor does a good job at spreading the Gospel of Jones, but there should be other such disciples for a player with Aaron Donald-esque disruptive potential.
Heading into a new year when Jaye Howard has been released and Dontari Poe allowed to leave in free agency, Jones’ presence along the defensive line is going to be a cornerstone for the defense. Even more important is the expected growth that comes in year two. The rookie jitters are finished. The game slows down for every player, let alone a physical beast like Jones. Another year of experience in the defensive schemes, the playbook, alongside his teammates and versus his opponents are all expected to yield Chris Jones 2.0.
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Any use of the words “physically unable to perform” and “Chris Jones” in the same sentence should make all of us feel uneasy. We can take comfort and keep from any sky-is-falling tactics due to Andy Reid’s words, but just wait until the first set back, the first presser where Reid says, “Well, he’s not quite ready yet, but we’re keeping an eye on it.” That’s when projections for the season will truly start to travel south.
For now, Reid says he’s not worried—which means we shouldn’t be either. Specifically, during his Monday press conference, he said:
"I think this is one that will be a fairly quick turnover. I am not seeing this as him being out for an extended amount of time. I think it is a pretty routine thing getting him back up here rehabbing with Rick."
That’s good news for the time being, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. But we’ve all seen various injuries linger into the season, a recovery period that never seems to end. Of all players on the Chiefs, the young, dominant defensive lineman is just about the single worst candidate to see on the PUP list. Here’s hoping that Reid is right and Jones is back in action soon.