SEPTEMBER 15: After practicing during the week, Kelce will indeed take the field in Week 2, Reid confirmed on Friday (via Teicher). With both he and Jones in the fold, the Chiefs will be well-positioned to rebound from their season-opening performance as they look to repeat last year’s postseason win over the Jaguars.
While it was already known Jones would be in the lineup on Sunday, SI’s Albert Breer notes the team will monitor his workload closely. No pitch count is planned as of now, but after missing all of training camp, it will be interesting to see how much he will see the field in his return.
SEPTEMBER 13: Patrick Mahomes looks like he will have more help against the Jaguars than he did against the Lions. The Chiefs will have Travis Kelce back at practice Wednesday, marking a good step for the future Hall of Fame tight end.
Kelce will log a limited practice session today, which represents a positive sign for his prospects of suiting up in Jacksonville. Kelce missed Week 1 after suffering a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise during the Tuesday practice leading up to Kansas City’s Week 1 game against Detroit. Seeing as the Chiefs had not been without Kelce due to injury since 2013, his absence proved noticeable in a game in which both Mahomes and Kansas City’s inexperienced receiving corps struggled.
Andy Reid also confirmed (via ESPN’s Adam Teicher) Chris Jones will return to action against the Jags. The Chiefs reached a revised agreement with Jones to end his lengthy holdout. While Jones is not guaranteed to recoup what he lost by holding out and missing Week 1, an incentive package is present for the dominant defensive tackle.
Jones pushed his holdout longer than Zack Martin or Nick Bosa and did not achieve what he sought — an Aaron Donald-level extension. While he is a strong candidate to reach free agency, the Chiefs have not given up on an extension that would keep him in Missouri on a long-term third contract. The Chiefs having franchise-tagged Jones in 2020 would run his 2024 tag number past $32MM. For perspective, it cost the Commanders $18.94MM to tag D-tackle Daron Payne this year.
Although the Lions’ run game moving the chains on a Jones-less defensive front helped key the upset victory, the Chiefs’ passing attack became a bigger story. Kansas City won Super Bowl LVII after trading Tyreek Hill, but the team also relied on Kelce and, to a lesser extent, JuJu Smith-Schuster last season. Reid confirmed the Chiefs were not close to matching the Patriots’ three-year, $25.5MM Smith-Schuster offer, and while plans for Kadarius Toney as a WR1 existed early this offseason, the ex-Giants first-rounder has proven inconsistent at every turn since being drafted. The injury-prone wideout’s drops plagued the Chiefs in Week 1, with their other young receivers not moving the needle much during a sluggish opener. A first- or second-team All-Pro selection in seven straight years, Kelce returning will at least provide a sturdy safety net for Mahomes.
In other Chiefs news, they restructured veteran guard Joe Thuney‘s deal. The move, which ESPN’s Field Yates notes frees up $8.7MM in cap space, will make room for Jones’ $19.5MM base salary. Jones had resided on K.C.’s reserve/did not report list. Thuney, who signed a $16MM-per-year deal in 2021, is under contract through the 2025 season. The Chiefs will need to make a decision on the 31-year-old blocker by next year, when his cap number spikes to $26.97MM. Thuney will almost certainly not be brought back at that rate, pointing to another contract-related move coming.
Expect Kelce to be distracted all season now that he is dating Taylor Swift. As for Jones, you should expect him to have the same kind of game after his holdout that Bosa had in SF’s game against Pittsburgh, i.e., he’ll have no impact against the Jaguars.
Can we expect continued lame comments from HighAltitude?
Just Bosa’s presence on the field has an impact…What are you talking about??
Just because Bosa didn’t rack up sacks, he didn’t have a good game?
You do realize Drake Jackson got a ton of 1on1s, and it lead to him being able to get 3 sacks…Not to mention other sacks and TFLs along the line. A lot of that was contributed to the fact that Bosa was in the game.
Also, in terms of sacks/pressures, your quality of play isn’t all about numbers. Look at UGA, they don’t rack up big sack numbers each and every year, but they consistently have one of the best defenses. It is because, it is all about making the QB uncomfortable. You have to make him get off his spot, make him make throws on the run, collapse the pocket, so he cannot scramble, etc.
All of these things negatively impact a QBs ability to do well, and these are all things that Bosa did his last game. Plus, he had success helping stunt the Steelers running game.
No one is double teaming Kerry Hyder. Bosa often gets either double teamed or chipped taking up multiple blockers. Football is a game of matchups and numbers, and there are few players that impact the game like Bosa.
Now, did he have his best game?? No, not at all, but he still had a major impact.
Are you telling me that Madden is not real life!?!? lol
You’re spot on. half of CJ95s value is the double-teams that he draws, and the congestion he creates for RBs.
Of course it is real life, just like professional wrestling, or I believe as some of us southerners would call it Rasslin’ …
Wait, no I was wrong Bosa did almost have no impact on the game, just look at his fantasy numbers…/: lol
willclarksfalsetto He’s just jealous that Kelce is gonna have a Taylor Swift song written about him someday.
Idk Rocket32, it’s just as likely that he’s jealous he isn’t the one “distracting” Kelce.
None of it made sense whatsoever. Idk, maybe it is just some teenager trying to troll. That would be the only other thing that might even make sense.
Ironically Taylor Swift would be the last person to distract him, too. An active pop mega star is way too busy to distract anyone, which is why I don’t buy that rumor in the first place. They’d have zero time together between both of their careers with him playing football and her out touring.
The logistics of Kelce and Swift starting to date right now make no sense and is nearly impossible.
Touring season is winding down. She’ll have time to Lear jet and grab more camera time in a sky box during games. Til of course, she dumps him and writes another song about another guy who did her wrong.
Kelce obviously was missed as he doesn’t drop many passes and is always mindful of the flow of the game.
Agree that a big part of the loss was dropped balls by receivers. Whether Jones has the same impact, as Kelce, holds doubts as he’ll likely be on a limited ‘snap count’.
With 1st games down AFC West needs to step up and step on the rest of that conference!