Rushing more from the edge, Chiefs’ Chris Jones is dominating, and more help is on the way

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Don’t call him a defensive tackle. Don’t call him a defensive end, either.

“I guess a hybrid,” Chris Jones said Wednesday to describe himself. “I can play inside. I can play outside. I’m very comfortable with it.”

Jones, the Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro pass rusher, is in the midst of another dominant season, one in which he is proving, yet again, that he can be one of the NFL’s most disruptive linemen, a player who must be accounted for before every snap by every opposing quarterback.

As an eight-year veteran, Jones understands that one of his biggest benefits as the Chiefs’ longest-tenured defender is he has earned the utmost trust from coach Andy Reid, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Joe Cullen. In every game this season, Jones has made what he calls a calculated risk, a decision where he moves from his natural position (defensive tackle) to one that presents a more natural one-on-one pass-rushing opportunity (defensive end).

Jones leads the Chiefs with 5 1/2 sacks — and four of those highlights began with him rushing from the edge.

“I know when I can take my chances,” he said.

In fact, Jones has played more snaps this season on the edge — 120, according to Pro Football Focus and TruMedia — than from the interior (63) of the Chiefs’ defensive line.

“Somebody as good as he is, you’ve got to move him around a little bit,” Reid said of Jones. “(Opposing offensive lines) have got to slow him down. The best you can do is move him around. That helps him. He’s a good enough athlete where he can do that. Not everyone can do that. He gives you that flexibility.”

Two seasons ago, Jones began making his transition to playing more snaps from the edge. The results were mostly unsuccessful, as he went through the process of how he could best execute certain pass-rushing moves while learning the position. Injuries also made the initial experiment more difficult than Jones anticipated.

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Last season, though, the Chiefs hired Cullen, who made it his mission to motivate and improve Jones’ production by helping him polish skills for the defensive end position. Jones, once again Wednesday, credited Cullen for his success last season as he matched career highs of 15 1/2 sacks and 29 quarterback hits. Jones also played 916 snaps — 80 percent of the unit’s total snaps — the most among Chiefs defensive linemen. The Chiefs’ memorable postseason run included Jones sacking Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow from the edge.

“He’s heavily invested in this D-line,” Jones said of Cullen. “(He’s) very particular about chasing greatness every day, so pushing the best out of me, the individuals on the D-line, and I think it’s a trickle effect.

“I’m super grateful for the guys in the room. We have an unselfish group that allows me to play free. The guys buy in and they allow me to do that. It’s a collective effort.”

Jones has had productive contributors next to him on the line in defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and edge rushers Mike Danna and George Karlaftis.

Although the Chiefs defense is second in the league in allowing just 14.7 points per game, the unit has yet to feature defensive end Charles Omenihu, the team’s biggest defensive free-agent acquisition. Last week, Omenihu finished serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. A big reason the Chiefs signed Omenihu to a two-year, $16 million deal worth up to $20 million with incentives, is to pair him next to Jones in clear pass-rushing situations.

Before he returned to the practice fields Wednesday, Omenihu received advice from linebacker Willie Gay, who served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy last season.

“I tried to help him see this whole situation through, and thank God he’s finally back,” Gay said of Omenihu. “He’s a very versatile guy. He’s happy and he’s ready. He’s definitely grateful to be back.”

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Last season with the San Francisco 49ers, Omenihu generated career highs in sacks (4 1/2), pressures (21), quarterback hits (16) and tackles (20). Omenihu also lined up outside the tackle (364 snaps), directly over the tackle (144) and as a defensive tackle (138), according to Pro Football Focus.

“You can work different combinations with that,” Reid said of adding Omenihu. “I think he’s in good shape. The one advantage he has, that maybe someone who hasn’t played up to this point, is he went through all of training camp, all the preseason games. We’ll see how he does.”

When the Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, they are expected to have five defensive linemen — Jones, Omenihu, Danna, Karlaftis and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton — who are capable of lining up in different spots to create pass-rushing mismatches, a tactic that Cullen used last season to maximize the group’s effectiveness.

“Most importantly, I think it’s about the guys in the room with you who (can) balance your success,” Jones said. “If you’ve got guys who are unselfish and allow you to be you and excel in what you do best, then it can (help) the whole room. With the guys I have in the room with me, I think it’s a product of my success.”

A potential bonus for Jones is that he could be reunited soon with defensive end Frank Clark, who became a free agent last week after the Denver Broncos granted his request to be released. A 10-year veteran, Clark led the Chiefs last postseason with 2 1/2 sacks and four quarterback hits.

Clark used his X account Wednesday afternoon to share that he will be in Kansas City on Thursday.

“Frank, for me, is like a brother,” Jones said. “We were able to achieve a lot of success with Frank. Kansas City knows what type of guy Frank is, the type of charisma, attitude and leadership he brings. To have him back, I would love for that to happen. Hopefully, we get him in.”

Injury update: As expected, receiver Justin Watson (bruised elbow) didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice. Reid also said the Chiefs don’t expect to put Watson on injured reserve, meaning he could return before the team’s bye week in early November.

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(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

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