Kansas City Chiefs undergo a defensive experiment without Chris Jones

The Kansas City Chiefs will get a good look at what their defense would look like without Chris Jones over the next few weeks.

For months, the Kansas City Chiefs have had the salary cap space. For months, the Chiefs have publicly stated their appreciation of Chris Jones and their goal to lock him up with a long-term contract extension. For months, the Chiefs have taken no action to back up their words.

We’re into the second quarter of the regular season and Jones is still scheduled to be a free agent next offseason. There are measures to keep Jones in place in Kansas City for the immediate future, of course, but the fact remains that the Chiefs have already moved heaven and earth to acquire and then paid big money to another defensive lineman in Frank Clark. They’ve also paid his teammate and fellow free-agent-to-be in Tyreek Hill. Still flush with cash, Jones is still waiting on an offer despite the overtures made to the media.

Given the lack of a deal, it’s natural to question the Chiefs commitment to make something happen with Jones. Maybe the Chiefs wanted to see how well he would play in a new defensive system. Perhaps the Chiefs wanted to see whether Khalen Saunders, this year’s third round pick, could potentially replace him down the road. It’s possible they simply view it as too much money to spend on the defensive line. No matter the reason, K.C. has yet to move.

Maybe that means their initial statements about wanting him long-term in Kansas City were more of a idealized desire. Is this a couple able to remain friends who just wish they could have worked something out? “We’d love to work out a way to stay together,” they say, knowing the divorce papers are on the table.

If the Chiefs are interested in potentially moving on from Jones at some point in the near future—either this season or next after applying the franchise tag—the next few weeks are going to give them a good preview of what to expect.

If you missed the news, Jones suffered a groin injury against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday that has him “week to week.” That means the Chiefs will not have Jones in the middle to chase Deshaun Watson out of the pocket as they face the Houston Texans next week. It’s also likely that Jones will still be out when they play the Denver Broncos for the first time this year. It’s also entirely possible that Jones will be forced to miss key midseason games against the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.

Jones is a one-man wrecking crew along the defensive interior. He pushes the quarterback into other players and forces them to make hurried decisions. He’s a charismatic leader who pushes his teammates to play better and forces opposing coordinators to plan around him. Together with Clark, the Chiefs have something special happening up front.

Without him, well, we don’t know what the Chiefs have. General manager Brett Veach drafted Khalen Saunders in the third round, a small-school prospect out of Western Illinois dubbed the “Aaron Donald of the FCS.” The ceiling is reportedly high for Saunders. If true, it’s entirely possible that Veach is saving significant money and gaining long-term flexibility by eventually substituting one for the other. On paper it sounds good. On the field, the difference in the present between Jones and Saunders is significant.

These next few weeks will be very telling for K.C. If the interior is able to hold its own and even make some disruptive plays without Jones, the internal and even external posture of a long-term deal for Jones might switch to something more year-to-year given the money involved. If, however, Jones’s tremendous talent is clearly missed in the middle, it might just accelerate whatever slow timeline the Chiefs have in mind to offer him a deal.

Given just how impactful Jones has proven to be in his first few years in the league, I’m assuming the hole is going to be seem quite large on Sundays.