Chiefs GM Brett Veach Says Re-Signing Chris Jones Is 'Priority' in Free Agency

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that re-signing defensive tackle Chris Jones is a "priority" for the organization.

According to ESPN's Adam Teicher, Veach added: "Sometimes these things take some time to work through. The franchise tag is something that we have the ability to use. We'd certainly like to see if we can work something out with him. The tandem is Chris Jones and Frank Clark is something any team would want, and we're going to work hard to get that done."

The 25-year-old Jones was a second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2016, and he was named a Pro Bowler for the first time last season.

Despite missing three games because of injury, Jones finished 2019 with 36 tackles and nine sacks. He also appeared in two games during the Chiefs' playoff run and made his presence felt in Kansas City's Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Jones was even better in 2018, when he recorded 40 tackles and a career-high 15.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss.

Although 2019 was a bit of a struggle in terms of injuries, Jones had never missed a game prior to that, so durability likely won't be a huge consideration when it comes to re-signing him.

If Jones is allowed to hit the open market, he will undoubtedly be in high demand. With 33 sacks in 61 career regular-season games, he is arguably the preeminent interior pass-rusher in the NFL aside from Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald.

The Chiefs have no obvious replacement for Jones. Khalen Saunders could be an option after KC took him in the third round of the 2019 draft, but he played somewhat sparingly as a rookie.

While the Chiefs are best known for their explosive offense led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, they had one of the NFL's best defenses down the stretch last season, and it is a major reason why they were able to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years.

The offense is set to remain largely intact in 2020, and if the team can re-sign Jones to keep starring alongside Clark and safety Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City will be a popular choice to repeat as champion.

Losing Jones would leave a massive void in the middle of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit, though, and there won't be any available players capable of filling it completely.