Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen remains optimistic Chris Jones deal will get done
Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones' holdout continues. With one day left of practices, it appears he'll miss the entirety of training camp. After Andy Reid's one-word answer on Tuesday, it felt like it'd be the last we heard of the situation until he rejoined the team. However, when defensive line coach Joe Cullen took […]
Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones' holdout continues. With one day left of practices, it appears he'll miss the entirety of training camp.
After Andy Reid's one-word answer on Tuesday, it felt like it'd be the last we heard of the situation until he rejoined the team. However, when defensive line coach Joe Cullen took the lectern following practice on Wednesday, fans got an entirely new take on the situation.
Cullen said he was, "Expecting a million questions about Chris."
The first question he got was simply about what the team was missing without Jones on the field.
"Well, I would say this: Chris (Jones), in my opinion, was as good as, if not the best defensive player in the league last year," Cullen declared.
If a deal isn't already done, that type of comment to the media might earn some scolding from Chiefs GM Brett Veach. The truth is there's probably not a person in the building that thinks otherwise about Jones. He's the lynchpin of the defense and Cullen certainly knows it.
The second-year defensive line coach also told reporters that he's maintained constant communication with Jones throughout this entire holdout process.
"I do stay in touch with Chris," Cullen said. "Chris is working hard and you know we'll welcome him with open arms when he gets back here."
What exactly do they talk about? Mostly, about his conditioning and the things he can do to be prepared once he returns to the team.
"Just like I said, I talk to him about staying in shape," Cullen said. "Eventually this thing will get done and he'll be back here at practice."
That last part is key. Cullen still expects that Jones will return to the team and a deal will get done. Even with all the social media trolling and a full training camp holdout, Jones' position coach remains optimistic about the future. It begs the question: Does Cullen know something that we don't know?
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Featured image via Kansas City Chiefs press conferences 8.16.23
