Chiefs rumors: Mahomes on Chris Jones, Week 1 injuries, more

Chiefs Rumors: Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is expected to play in Week 1

Good news for the Chiefs: the team could see both L'Jarius Sneed and Kadarius Toney suit up Thursday night for the season opener against the Detroit Lions.

Sneed had been dealing with a knee issue for the majority of training camp, but based on the latest reports, the veteran corner appears ready to take the field. Toney also suffered a knee injury in training camp and has been sidelined for the majority of the summer.

Head coach Andy Reid said of Sneed's and Toney's imminent returns: "We'll take it day by day, but right now, I'd tell you they're good to go."

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of Sneed, specifically, that Spagnuolo was going to leave the pitch count "up to LJ", implying that Sneed was the one who understood his injury and his own limitations the best.

Many sources are projecting Sneed and Toney to play in Week 1 given their coaches' comments. With only two days until the opener, both players should invoke more optimism than pessimism surrounding their respective injury setbacks.

Chiefs Rumors: How 'bout those offenses? Kansas City-Detroit Week 1 projection

The Chiefs-Lions Week 1 matchup projects to be one of the more exciting season openers this year as both teams boast efficient and complete offenses.

On the Chiefs side, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and a ragtag group of wideouts will pick up right where they left off last season. On the Lions, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and a retooled running back room could inflict a surprising amount of damage to the reigning Super Bowl champs -- especially if the Chiefs don't have Chris Jones.

Arrowhead Addict's Josh Fann recently wrote about how Jones' absence could affect the Chiefs' Week 1 game. Will Kansas City's pass rush, which finished second in the league in sacks last season, still be able to eat?

Maybe, but it's going to be tough. According to Seth Keysor, Jones accounted for a quarter of the Chiefs' pressures in 2022; another quarter came from the Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap, who are no longer on the team.

Assuming Jones doesn't suit up for the big game, what should Chiefs fans expect out of this game? One word: Offense. Lots of it.

The Lions finished as the second-ranked offense in 2022 at 26.6 points per game, trailing only the Chiefs and Eagles who were tied for the No. 1 offense. Detroit's 6,460 passing yards and 11th-ranked rushing attack was no fluke last year, and the team is not a fluke this year with most of its core intact.

Fann notes that "Steve Spagnuolo's defenses typically start the season slowly, so not having Jones shouldn't be as big of a deal as long as the Chiefs get something figured out eventually." In the meantime, Thursday night is touted to be a purely "offensive display" between two high-scoring squads. Maybe bet the over on this one?

Chiefs Rumors: Patrick Mahomes speaks out on Chris Jones' potential absence

If Patrick Mahomes is expecting Chris Jones to sit out of Week 1, you should too.

The Chiefs quarterback gave his quick thoughts on Jones' ongoing holdout amid his contract dispute, and what Mahomes had to say doesn't bode well for Jones' future in Kansas City.

Mahomes said the Chiefs were going to prepare for the Lions games "with the guys in the building" and focus on winning "with the guys that are here", putting plenty of emphasis on the current Jones-less roster.

From the sound of it, Jones may have already lost the locker room. Mahomes is ready to vie for his third Super Bowl without the defensive star, and the longer Jones' holdout drags out, the more distance could be placed between Jones and his teammates.

Mahomes was specifically asked if Chief players "should be willing to do what it contractually takes to keep the team together", to which he didn't give a very straightforward reply.

Back when Mahomes signed his 10-year, $450 million extension, the idea was that the Chiefs could use his flexible team-friendly deal and the affordances of extra cap space to sign key players and perennially compete for the Super Bowl. Three years later, star wideout Tyreek Hill has left for greener pastures, and soon, Chris Jones could follow in his footsteps.

Mahomes took one for the team three years ago, but Jones seems to have no intention of doing so in 2023.