There's less than a week before Andy Reid's team takes on the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL season opener at Arrowhead Stadium. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones remains a holdout and his status for Thursday night remains unknown.
Meanwhile, it appears that if it were up to a former member of the Kansas City Chiefs defense, the standout performer would be getting ready for a Sunday afternoon clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. Recently, Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce expressed his desire to see his teammate back with the club, summing it up with "please come back now."
This offseason, defensive back Juan Thornhill left the defending Super Bowl champions in free agency and signed a three-year, $21 million deal (via Spotrac) with the Cleveland Browns. On Sunday, he took to social media and tagged Jones on a tweet.
"I hope you're having a wonderful day my guy," Thornhill tweeted at Jones.
It not only caught the attention of the four-time Pro Bowler…
It was also noted by another new member of the Cleveland Browns' defensive unit.
Juan Thornhill may want Chris Jones with the Browns but the Chiefs would have to trade him
Let's get serious. Twitter and social media in general is certainly not the way to orchestrate a trade, if that is what Thornhill is actually suggesting. However, as the season opener draws near, the Chiefs and Jones are no closer to a new deal. The standout interior defender led the club with 15.5 sacks in 2022 and has made his share of big plays in the postseason.
Meanwhile, imagine if the Browns and general manager Andrew Berry somehow orchestrated a trade for Jones. New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz would have a front featuring the two-time Super Bowl champion, pass-rushers Myles Garrett and Za'Darius Smith, and more interior standouts such as Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. That would make things very interesting in an AFC North that many feel may already be the best division in the NFL in 2023.
It's going to be an interesting couple of days leading up to Thursday evening in Kansas City.