Chiefs sacks leader Chris Jones has yet to make an appearance at the team's offseason workout program, according to Yahoo Sports.
This may be nothing as OTAs at this point are a voluntary activity, but with Jones in the final year of his contract, it certainly is something to note.
The Chiefs have started voluntary offseason workouts, but one very key player is absent, multiple sources tell Yahoo Sports: https://t.co/Qin3Uxa9Z6
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) May 1, 2019
Jones' four-year, $6.23 million rookie deal is up after this season as he is set to make $1.19 million this year.
He tallied a career-high 15 1/2 sacks in 2018 and the 2016 second-round pick has 24 sacks in three seasons with the team.
But the Chiefs changed defensive coordinators this offseason as former Giants and Saints coach Steve Spaguolo took over the duties.
With that change has come some questions about the team's personnel as they have already traded Dee Ford to the 49ers and picked up Frank Clark from the Seahawks in an effort to make the switch from the 3-4 to the 4-3 easier.
Jones may not be part of the team's long-term plan for sure, but as of right now he appears to be as general manager Brett Veach spoke about his excitement in pairing Jones and Clark together.
“You have to win these games in the trenches — you have to have a great o-line and a great defensive line,” Veach said, via Yahoo Sports. “We feel really good about our defensive line.”
So it looks like Jones is in the team's plans, but it's possible the team could franchise tag him after this season much like they did with Ford this year.
Jones could very well be holding out in hopes of getting a new deal and that could explain his absence.
Or, he's simply working out on his own and missing voluntary activities doesn't matter. We'll see which it is as this story unfolds.