KC Chiefs had edge rusher answer all along in Chris Jones

For the entirety of the NFL offseason, K.C. Chiefs fans have been asking questions about edge rusher. Other than the offensive line, the hole opposite Frank Clark was likely the single greatest concern for most of Chiefs Kingdom when ranking potential needs. After several months of minimal activity, it looks like the answer was already on the roster all along: Chris Jones.

During the team’s recent minicamp, Jones has been taking more reps at edge rusher in order to learn the nuances from playing out on the edges instead of lined up along the interior, largely from his 3-technique position. Working opposite Clark, the Chiefs are clearly relying on Jones to serve as a significant part of the answer to the questions that have swirled overhead.

Jones, for his part, is quite excited about the change.

"“I feel like I can be productive inside or outside – wherever the team puts me – but I think there’s more advantages on the outside because you can’t really double team me [out there],” Jones explained on Wednesday. “You can chip, but you’re not really getting as many double teams as a three-tech would in this defense. I’m excited about that.”"

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so in that sense, removing Jones from staring straight across from opposing quarterbacks could be a question itself. He’s asserted his will on interior linemen for years now as the NFL’s best interior disruptor not named Aaron Donald. A positional switch removes what opposing defenses have been forced to respect since he was the team’s second round pick in 2016.

Chris Jones is the long-awaited answer to the Chiefs issues at edge rusher.

That said, if the Chiefs are into it and Jones is excited by it, it’s probably for very good reason. The team brought in Jarran Reed to bolster the interior, which creates less pressure to keep Jones at a single spot. If Jones feels like this frees him up, then the prospect of watching him wreak havoc from the edge is an exciting proposition. It’s also much better than any other solution outside to date.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs watched Alex Okafor and Tanoh Kpassagnon leave with the start of a new league year, with the latter earning a new two-year deal from the New Orleans Saints. The biggest concern was that the Chiefs were already so uninspiring off the edge even before losing a few players. Last season, outside of Jones or Clark, Okafor had the most sacks with 3 (and the team leader only had 7.5).

Throughout the spring, the Chiefs made minor additions at the position, but no one who could be called a dependable performer. Taco Charlton was brought back to try to do the change-of-scenery bit one more time after losing a year to injury. The Chiefs drafted Joshua Kaindoh in the fourth round, a prospect who was known for never putting it all together at Florida State. The Chiefs added Malik Herring as a rookie free agent, but he’s recovering from a major injury.

The Chiefs were connected with former L.A. Chargers pass rusher Melvin Ingram in free agency and brought him in for a visit. However, he came and went without a contract offer and despite interest from other teams as well, he remains available without an obvious home for the coming season. The Chiefs have also left other potential veteran pass rushers on the shelf, from Justin Houston to Everson Griffen.

At this point, the Chiefs have some holdover rotational prospects like Tim Ward, Demone Harris, and Mike Danna to go with Charlton and Kaindoh, but that’s not exactly a rotation to carry into a season with Super Bowl aspirations. That is, unless you know you already have a frontrunner there who has proven what he can do in Jones.

It turns out that the biggest question mark remaining on the roster has the answer in house all along It will be fun, and quite interesting, to see how Jones fares on the outside and how the Chiefs adjust the trenches after years of watching CJ dominate from the interior.