It was late last season, and Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones pondered a question about the difference between his fifth professional season and his NFL introduction. The answer stretched 155 words, but its summary could be captured with just one.
Attention.
He had become a known commodity, a prominent player whose skill-set jumped out on the film and therefore the attraction of opposing defenses.
So this offseason, the Chiefs offered a solution — or a partial solution, let’s call it. They officially signed former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed after he passed a physical Wednesday, with the plans to nestle him alongside Jones on the defensive line. Reed has 19 1/2 sacks over the past three years, including 6 1/2 last season.
“I’m here to relieve some of those double teams,” Reed said Wednesday, his first Zoom news conference with Kansas City media. “I’m pretty sure we want to relieve some of them from each other. I think that’s going to be a good thing for us. You gotta figure out a way to block everybody. It’s going to be a great thing — get some pressure off him and get some pressure off myself so we can help each other make plays.”
The attention designated to Jones will never completely disappear — not with his track record. But he was doubled in the neighborhood of 50% his 700 defensive snaps last season. The sacks dipped to 7 1/2. Yet advance grading systems, including Pro Football Focus, rated him as individually dominant as ever.
When Jones arrived in the NFL in 2016, he played next to Dontari Poe in the 3-4 base defense. Poe, already a two-time Pro Bowl selection, clogged up the middle. Jones won one-on-one. Two years later, the Chiefs defensive line included 13 sacks from Dee Ford, nine from Justin Houston and six more from Allen Bailey.
As one of many pass-rushing threats, Jones thrived, recording a career-best 15 1/2 sacks.
“It’s different. It’s different,” Jones said late last season. “I didn’t (used to) have to deal with as many double teams as I do now, and that was fun. ... It gets hard and that’s the beauty of the game — the challenge.”
What Jones wouldn’t say is that the outside contributions nearly disappeared. Jones had 7 1/2 sacks last season. Frank Clark added six. Nobody else on the team finished with more than three. Why not shade an extra lineman toward Jones?
By adding Reed to the mix on a one-year deal in which he can earn up to $7 million, the Chiefs address one of their top offseason priorities — putting more pressuring on the quarterback.
But not just with Reed. And not with whatever other additions they might provide to the group before next season. (They’re still in the market for a defensive end.)
Reed’s presence, they expect, will also help get the best out of their best. That means Chris Jones. And that means Frank Clark, a former teammate with Reed in Seattle.
“Those guys put a staple in this league,” Reed said. “I’m going to put a staple in this team, as well. I’m just coming in, joining those guys, doing what I can. I’m going to do my best to be the best I can be, follow those guys. It’s those guys’ team. The goal is to come in and wreak havoc and play some good football — some good old-school football.”
