Chiefs must balance DT, EDGE snaps for Chris Jones in 2021
The Kansas City Chiefs have indicated that they plan to make a change on the defensive side of the ball this year, playing one of their star players at a different position more frequently.
Steve Spagnuolo has toyed around with using Chris Jones as an edge rusher instead of his usual defensive tackle position since he first joined the team as defensive coordinator in 2019. During that season, in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, the Chiefs faced a bit of a roster crunch at defensive end due to injuries. Jones flexed out to played on the edge during that game. He wasn’t perfect, but he was effective and managed to get some pressure on the quarterback. That was really Jones’ first big dip into positional flexibility.
During the 2020 NFL season, Jones played over 200 snaps at the defensive end position. That was good for the most snaps on the outside of his professional career.
“He is an imposing player inside, we all know that,” Spagnuolo told reporters of Jones during OTAs. “If we move him outside on a number of his snaps, he’s going to have to be flexible to do both. We’ll miss that (on the inside). Hopefully, we will gain something on the edge.”
The Chiefs need to be especially careful in how they utilize Jones in 2021. To call Jones “imposing” at the defensive tackle position is probably an understatement. He’s widely been considered the second-best defensive tackle in football to only Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald. Since the 2018 NFL season, Jones ranks second among interior defenders in sacks with 32 and QB hits with 49. He also ranks third among interior defenders with 30 tackles for loss in that span.
Every indication has been that they’re investing a lot more time and training in Jones learning the ins and outs of the edge rusher spot. Spags says that it’s a difficult transition, but that Jones has been working hard at it.
“When somebody changes a position, obviously the first hurdle is the mental part of it,” Spags continued. “So Chris is working through that and he’s been great. He’s been here and been part of the whole thing and I think that’s important when you change a position. It’s just not that easy to pick up a whole new spot.”
The key to moving forward will be finding balance in the way they utilize Jones on gameday. Spags doesn’t have the answers on how that will work, but he has some ideas.
“We do some different things with the defensive end,” Spags said. “He’ll play out there a little bit, we’ll move him back inside when we have to… I’m not sure how you (balance) that yet. Maybe it will come down to— and I think we’ll do a little of this— it’ll come down to who we’re playing, where maybe we can find a weakness and maybe expose that weakness in the five offensive linemen.”
You don’t want to lose out on Jones’ ability to disrupt the defensive interior without getting something in return. If you can use him as more of a chess piece up and down the defensive line, exploiting the weaknesses of opposing offenses, only then will this position change prove to be worth it. If Jones proves to be anything less than great in this new role, the Chiefs should be quick to cut their losses on this supposed position change.
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