Chris Jones practicing Friday [is ACTIVE]

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

A) Aim higher. He's likely looking at $20+ million when all is said and done.

B) Yes, we won without him, but his absence was noticeable. For as badly as we abused Houston's tackles, Watson was often able to find space to move forward because the interior wasn't getting pressure.

From a 1,000 mile view - the Chiefs didn't need him last week. But from a micro level, his absence was CLEARLY noticeable.

I’m kinda with this. Yeah we won but we got virtually no pressure up the middle and it hurt at times.

The question becomes, what are we like with Chris Jones at $20M AAV vs. the 2-4 players that might replace that AAV if he is traded. Obviously we can’t be sure who those players will be, but let’s just pretend that it ends up being Kendall Fuller, Reggie Ragland, and a late 1st round draft pick in 2020. Maybe a day 2 pick in 2021 as well.

Odds are, that combo isn’t going to be near as impactful as Chris Jones. Really, the only way we lose in the situation is if injuries become a recurring issue for him, which is clearly possible.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

I’m kinda with this. Yeah we won but we got virtually no pressure up the middle and it hurt at times.

The question becomes, what are we like with Chris Jones at $20M AAV vs. the 2-4 players that might replace that AAV if he is traded. Obviously we can’t be sure who those players will be, but let’s just pretend that it ends up being Kendall Fuller, Reggie Ragland, and a late 1st round draft pick in 2020. Maybe a day 2 pick in 2021 as well.

Odds are, that combo isn’t going to be near as impactful as Chris Jones. Really, the only way we lose in the situation is if injuries become a recurring issue for him, which is clearly possible.

And factor that we’re going to have replace his spot.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

I’m kinda with this. Yeah we won but we got virtually no pressure up the middle and it hurt at times.

The question becomes, what are we like with Chris Jones at $20M AAV vs. the 2-4 players that might replace that AAV if he is traded. Obviously we can’t be sure who those players will be, but let’s just pretend that it ends up being Kendall Fuller, Reggie Ragland, and a late 1st round draft pick in 2020. Maybe a day 2 pick in 2021 as well.

Odds are, that combo isn’t going to be near as impactful as Chris Jones. Really, the only way we lose in the situation is if injuries become a recurring issue for him, which is clearly possible.

The highest upside move for the Chiefs, IMO, is to keep him. A healthy, motivated Chris Jones can do things only 1 or 2 people in this league can do and he's still young enough to continue to refine the rough edges in his game (i.e. gap responsibility and 'want to' in run support).

But the safest move - and probably the right one - is to trade him and reallocate his cap space/draft capital to additional upgrades.

If the best we can get for him is a 2, then I'm tagging him and making one last run before tagging him again next season and THEN moving him for a 2. But if we can get a deal at/near the same compensation as the Clark trade, I think we have to do it.

And I'd hate it. Because I think he's the most impactful, talented player on this entire defense. And I think he may actually be a little UNDER valued as I don't think DTs get money on the market commensurate with their ability to impact games.

But if you can get a 1st for him in lieu of having 2 $100 million defensive lineman on a team that's going to largely win with it's offense, I think you have to recognize reality, grit your teeth and pull the trigger.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But if you can get a 1st for him in lieu of having 2 $100 million defensive lineman on a team that's going to largely win with it's offense, I think you have to recognize reality, grit your teeth and pull the trigger.

This is a good point. One of those situations where IF Jones and Clark are both playing healthy, the DL is going to be dominant consistently. But if even one of them is hurt, that’s a lot of cap space and production left on the bench.

At the same time, there’s something to be said for keeping your core players intact and right now that’s clearly Mathieu, Clark, and Jones on defense.

A better scenario than the one I originally made would probably be: 1) Keep Jones at $20M AAV or 2) re-sign Ogbah, Fuller, and add a late 2020 1st round pick. I don’t think the Chiefs can totally win or lose in these scenarios. There’s plenty of give and take involved, and the ‘tie-breaker’ just might be how they feel the locker room will respond to him staying or being traded.