The Kansas City Chiefs will have Chris Jones on the field this weekend after all.
The team got some worrying news when the veteran edge rusher didn’t travel with the team for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, leaving for undisclosed personal reasons. The Chiefs put an end to speculation about his status for the game, however, announcing later that he was back with the team.
Chris Jones Returns to Chiefs
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jones was able to rejoin his teammates on Saturday, before the tilt against the struggling NFC South team.
“Chiefs say Chris Jones now has rejoined the team in Atlanta and he is expected to play Sunday vs. the Falcons,” Schefter wrote in a post on X.
The team had turned heads with the announcement earlier in the day on Saturday, noting that he did not have any designation for the game without specifically saying he would play.
“Jones (NIR – Personal) will not travel with the team and will arrive on his own to Atlanta. He has no game designation,” the team shared.
Chiefs Will Miss a Different Star Player
The Chiefs are already missing a key member of the team for Saturday’s game, ruling out top running back Kenneth Walker III with a groin injury.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid cast doubt on Walker’s status on Friday, saying he was still working through the injury.
“Came in this morning and had a tight groin, so we just sat him out of practice today,” Reid said, via The Athletic. “We’ll just see how he feels.”
But Walker apparently did not show enough improvement, with the team ruling him out on Saturday. The Athletic added that the game will give rookie Emmett Johnson his first chance to take the reins as lead running back.
“This should also be the first extended look at Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson,” the report noted. “A 2026 fifth-round pick, Johnson has impressed in limited action while primarily used as a third-down back, contributing 14 catches for 237 yards while showing strong elusiveness. Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson’s 11 missed tackles forced as a receiver rank as the seventh-best mark in the NFL despite his low catch total.”
The Chiefs will miss Walker, who ranked second in the league with 872 yards. He has given the team a stout running game, an element that has been missing for several years, and helped open up a potent play-action attack for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Chiefs Announce Good News on Chris Jones After Worrying Report