NFL experts agree: Chris Jones has the potential to be a star defensive lineman in the NFL. Is this the year he makes the leap?
Many experts agree: Chris Jones has the potential to be a star defensive lineman in the NFL, and Kansas City Chiefs fans are rooting for the defensive lineman to have a breakout season in 2018.
Since April, Jones has done all the right things. He showed up for spring practice 25 pounds lighter than last season, slimming down, not only to take the weight off his knees but also to continue adjusting his game from the interior defensive line to the end position. Jones wanted to gain speed and flexibility to help himself get around the outside quicker during pass rushes. And in practice, this lighter version of Jones has performed quicker off the ball.
By all accounts, his hard work paid off. Jones looked poised to have a breakout year.
However, after watching him play in the first two games of the regular season, we still don’t know if Jones is going to have that breakout year to become an NFL Pro Bowler.
The Chris Jones Breakout Season So Far
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The Chiefs defense gave up 541 total yards to the Chargers in Week 1. The majority of those yards were racked up by Philip Rivers, who had plenty of time to throw the ball. And this is where the focus on Chris Jones comes into play. The pass rush seemed almost nonexistent at times during the Chargers game. The Chiefs only had one sack, and Jones did not get the lone sack.
In week 2 against the Steelers, Jones had another quiet game (he did pick up a fumble and scored a TD—sadly the play was called back because of a penalty). Jones had one tackle total in Pittsburgh. No sacks.
The Chiefs defense, however, did NOT have a quiet day. Ben Rothlisberger passed for 452 yards and 3 TDs. Once again, the Chiefs only had one sack the entire game, which means they have 2 sacks for the season.
This is why the Chiefs desperately need a breakout season from Jones.
Now, I know it is not always easy to notice a strong performance by a defensive lineman. I also know that Pro Football Focus gave Jones some love against the Chargers—ranking him 15th among all defensive interior players. Although I haven’t seen his PFF scores in detail, I’m sure Jones had some QB pressures during the Chargers game and the Steelers game. Along with PFF, I’m sure there are other film geeks out there who have watched game film on Jones and they could also make a convincing case that he has performed better than we realize.
Maybe so. I’m not saying Jones is having a terrible season and I haven’t heard anyone else say that.
On the other hand, nobody is raving about how Jones is playing, either. Why would they? Jones hasn’t stood out at all. He has 4 tackles in two games. Zero sacks. No fumble recoveries (that counted). No batted down passes. And no interceptions. (My inclusion of “interceptions” is not a typo. Let’s not forget that Jones had an interception against the Eagles last season in Week 2.)
That game against the Eagles still shines brightly in our memory and is probably why so many Chiefs fans believe Chris Jones can be a superstar. Along with the interception, Jones also had 3 sacks that game, 2 forced fumbles and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Unfortunately, Jones has never destroyed an opponent like that since.
Maybe the Week 2 game in 2017 against the Eagles was an anomaly? Perhaps we are being unfair to Jones by expecting him to perform like that on a consistent basis?
Then again, if Jones has done it before, why shouldn’t we expect him to do that again? Jones has upped his physical conditioning, is only 24 years old and he’s definitely got the self-confidence and energy to make the leap to Pro Bowler. With experience, Jones may yet become the superstar defensive lineman the Chiefs desperately need.
There’s still plenty of time for Jones to have a breakout season in 2018. Let’s hope it starts this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
What do you think? Will Chris Jones breakout and become a star in 2018? Sound off in the comments.