After getting handled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59, the Kansas City Chiefs are back to the drawing board this offseason as they try to find various ways to retool their roster.
This offseason, the Chiefs saw a few key defensive contributors leave (Tershawn Wharton, Justin Reid, and Derrick Nnadi) for other opportunities in free agency.
Kansas City didn’t waste time trying to fill those holes on defense, signing veteran defensive lineman Jerry Tillery to a one-year deal and cornerback Kristian Fulton to a two-year contract in free agency, for example. Fulton will be a nice addition to the Chiefs’ cornerback room, playing next to Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie.
However, the Chiefs’ cornerback room could use some more depth with the struggles of Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams last season. There aren’t many great options left in free agency, but one veteran player who just hit the open market could be a solid low-risk, high-reward signing.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Las Vegas Raiders have released veteran cornerback Jack Jones after the team tried to trade him.
The #Raiders are releasing CB Jack Jones, sources say, after Las Vegas attempted to trade him. An intriguing option for a CB-needy team. pic.twitter.com/KciN550fPz
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1908945043748008251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Chiefs fans are very familiar with Jones, as the veteran cornerback recorded a pick-six in a 20-14 Raiders’ upset win in Week 16 over the Chiefs. That said, the veteran defender’s play left much to be desired in 2024, as he struggled noticeably with the Raiders.
The 27-year-old defensive back had mediocre coverage (52.9) and tackling (39.1) grades as he started in 16 games (career-high), per PFF. However, Jones recorded 69 combined tackles, 16 pass deflections, three tackles for loss, and three interceptions.
He also possessed a 62.8 completion percentage allowed on targets, a 98.5 pass rating allowed when targeted (career-worst), and gave up eight touchdowns (career-worst). If Kansas City signed the veteran defensive back, they wouldn’t look for him to start, which might not be a bad idea.
Jones would be a slight upgrade over Joshua Williams, who played okay last season in KC. The former fourth-round pick had a better coverage grade (68.3) than Jones but only started in six games.
Over his three-year career with the Chiefs, Williams has started in 12 games out of 51 possible regular-season games. After starting the last five games in the regular season, Williams was pushed back to a reserve role in the postseason with Watson’s return from injury.
Again, the Chiefs don’t have a glaring need at cornerback, but adding more competition, especially from a division rival, wouldn’t be the worst idea at this stage of free agency.
