Whenever you think of the Kansas City Chiefs, three big-time names likely come to mind. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones serve as pillars of the organization with their play on the field.
Despite that, some believe Jones doesn’t get quite enough love for what he’s done. Famous radio host Rich Eisen is one of those folks.
On a July 2 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Eisen did a power ranking of the top 10 non-quarterback players in the NFL. Jones not only made the cut, but he snuck into the fifth spot right above Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
Eisen Shows Love to Chris Jones With Ranking Among NFL’s Elite
Finishing above Jones on Eisen’s list are wideout Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals), running back Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), receiver Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) and pass rusher Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns).
According to Eisen, Jones is worthy of more buzz for the league’s prestigious awards.
“No. 5 on the list, another defender,” Eisen said. “Never really gets enough Defensive Player of the Year love. I’ve got to put a Chief here: Chris Jones. Chris Jones is right there at No. 5, he cracks the top five. On my power rankings list, No. 5 here.”
The accuracy of that argument is in the eye of the beholder. The best recent season Jones had, 2022, saw him total 15.5 sacks and a career-high 44 tackles en route to Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro berths. He also finished third in DPOY voting. He made another Pro Bowl and All-Pro team the following year but saw his sack total drop to 10.5.
That trend continued a year ago, when Jones played in 15 regular-season games but amassed just 5 sacks. He still got the nods for Pro Bowl and All-Pro, though. With that in mind, it’s hard to believe Jones flies too far under the radar. The league clearly respects him a ton.
Jones Will Set Tone for Chiefs’ Defense Once Again in 2025
As such, Jones is expected to lead the Kansas City defense again. Even at the age of 31, the bar remains quite high for his play. Coming off back-to-back-to-back years of 74 or more pressures (per Pro Football Focus), that’s become the norm. Jones sets the example for everyone else, and they follow.
Mahomes is in agreement, which doesn’t apply to just the actual games. Back in May, the two-time MVP opened up about the impact of players like Jones and Kelce showing up to voluntary workouts.
“It’s extremely important just because whenever you have – I always say this – whenever you have the guy that already has the gold jacket on, if it’s him or Chris Jones and they’re working hard and they’re showing what it takes to be great, it’s easier for me to talk to the young guys and say like when they’re tired that they need to keep working, they need to keep pushing,” Mahomes said. “They don’t need to be here, and they’re still going to go out there and have success on the field. They take care of their bodies and work hard in the offseason. For them to still show up and set that standard, it sets the standard for everybody else that’s going on the practice field.”
Dating back to the 2018-19 campaign, Jones has posted a PFF pass rush grade of at least 89 on a yearly basis. If it weren’t for retired Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald, he’d go down as the best interior defensive lineman of a generation. There’s no debate for that.
With another year on the horizon, Eisen wanted to give Jones his flowers.
-1750386206-q80.webp "Steelers Clear Roster Spot With Veteran RB Release")