The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams of the 2025 season, even before quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL and a torn LCL on Dec. 14. In the end, Kansas City finished the campaign with a record of 6-11.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones blamed himself for one aspect of a season that he and others inside the locker room will look to put behind them later this year.
The 2026 Chiefs will look to get more sacks
“We’ve got to get more sacks,” Jones directly said, per Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star. “Last year, we (finished) at the bottom (in) sacks, and I think it affected the defense tremendously. And if we want this defense to be a success — (under defensive line coach) Joe Cullen — I gotta get more sacks.”
Across 17 regular-season games, Jones tallied a total of seven sacks. ESPN stats show that the Chiefs ended the campaign with 35 team sacks. To compare, the rival Denver Broncos led the NFL with 68 team sacks.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are among the teams that have been linked by multiple reporters with longtime New Orleans Saints pass-rusher Cameron Jordan. Jordan remained a free agent as of Thursday morning, and it’s unclear if he plans to re-sign with New Orleans. Jordan, who turns 37 years old in July, has only played for the Saints since they drafted him in 2011.
Chiefs have extra “fuel” after 2025 season
Mahomes seems to be on track to play in Kansas City’s season-opening “Monday Night Football” home game versus the Broncos on Sept. 14. One would think that Jones and his teammates are bolstered by Mahomes’ remarkable recovery.
“Last year,” Jones added during his comments, “we didn’t have the year we wanted as a team, and especially individually, as me. We can use that as motivation. We can use it as something we can linger on to and build off of in training camp. This year I plan to start high and go higher — so definitely that, going into training camp, we can use it as some fuel.”
