Chris Jones Ranked as NFL's Best Interior Defender for 2024

With Aaron Donald no longer in the picture, Jones is the natural replacement on PFF's list of the NFL's top interior players.

Dec 31, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) lines up against the Cincinnati Bengals during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' championship core of players oftentimes starts with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. This offseason, however, the team made it perfectly clear that defensive tackle Chris Jones is a franchise pillar as well.

After all, Jones turned in yet another excellent campaign last year and was inked to a lucrative new contract during the offseason. Now just days away from his 30th birthday (as of the publishing of this article), the All-Pro man is well-established as an elite player.

So elite, even, that conversations about the NFL's best interior defender have to begin with him. Pro Football Focus recently alluded to that as well, with Sam Monson putting Jones at the No. 1 spot in the aftermath of Aaron Donald's retirement.

"With Aaron Donald having retired, the player who has been closest to him over the past few years takes over the throne," Monson wrote. "The best thing you can say about Chris Jones is that he had been bridging the gap between Donald and everybody else in the league. Over the past two seasons, Jones has the highest pressure rate at the position and 24 more pressures than any other interior defender."

Players like Dexter Lawrence and Quinnen Williams are great, and they also occupy the second and third spots on Monson's list. With that said, Jones was easily better than Donald in 2022 and had 10.5 sacks this past season. Being named a first-team All-Pro in consecutive years signals considerable dominance, which is exactly what Jones provides on the interior.

With his huge payday secured, Jones believes he's in a good headspace. Speaking about that earlier this offseason, he admitted he's glad to have a mostly normal process following a tumultuous 2023.

"Well, the mental health aspect of it is, I'm here. Last year, I wasn't. I gotta report to training camp. Last year, I didn't," Jones said with a smile to laughter in the media room. "My mental's like, s***, I gotta stay in the dorm, but last year I didn't, I slept in my bed, so you know, it's a mental challenge. But overall, I'm in a good state of mind. I'm happy to be here, happy to be back on the team with Kansas City, happy to be back with the organization. I think it's a plus for both of us, and I'm excited to be back here, man."

Jones is under contract for several years, serving as the cornerstone piece of the defense and the front four. His standing relative to his peers is a major reason why Kansas City's defensive line is viewed among the better half in all of football. It all starts and ends with Jones, the consummate pass-rush specialist and closer.

While Jones may not be the consensus premier defensive player in the league like Donald was at times in his prime, he's currently the gold standard for interior linemen.

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