The Kansas City Chiefs focused heavily on defense early on during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Each of their first four picks were defensive players. Among them was Peter Woods, a highly athletic defensive tackle out of Clemson. Woods will certainly be a rotational player for the Chiefs as a rookie, and potentially a starter.
Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones Excited to Play With and Mentor Peter Woods
GettyChiefs DT Peter Woods
The Chiefs completed the second practice of their three-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. Jones spoke to the media afterwards, and shared his early impression on Woods.
“He’s a big guy,” Jones said. “He’s strong. He’s a young bull, man. He’s got so much potential with his skillset. He’s still improving. It’s good to get that type of talent in the building. We can utilize him in a lot of ways. He played (defensive) end, he played nose (tackle), also played 3-tech. That versatility, we definitely can utilize it in the schematics everywhere in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.”
Even if it’s not instant, Jones and Woods should eventually make for a dynamic duo. Woods’ skillset and motor is similar to Jones’ when he was drafted by Kansas City back in 2016. Jones went on to say that he is embracing being a leader for guys who have grown up watching him play.
“I’ve been in the league, going on my 11th year,” Jones said. “They paid attention to the Chiefs, and they’ve probably seen me on the field. For me, I use it as motivation. They’re younger, might be a little faster, but the mental aspect I try to stay sharp on.”
“I think it’s fun, man, when you got a lot of young guys that are hungry,” Jones continued. “You can definitely use that as motivation, the way they’re flying around. I think it’s a challenge, (I) accept it. I’m looking forward to playing with those guys.”
Chris Jones Fueled by Last Year’s Team Failures
GettyChiefs DT Chris Jones
2025 was the first losing season of Jones’ decorated NFL career. Instead of being defeated over it, he and his teammates are motivated to get back to their winning ways in 2026.
“Overall (last) season, I think it bothered everyone,” Jones said. “I don’t think we’re used to finishing the season that early. It was a first for me, not making the playoffs. AFC West, we didn’t win it. It’s a lot of motivational points we can use for fuel going into training camp this year.”
One glaring improvement the Chiefs have to make on defense is improving their sack total. They ranked 25th in the league in sacks last season with just 35, and 19th in 2024 with 39. Jones made it clear that getting more sacks will be a huge priority in 2026.
“We got to get more sacks,” Jones said. “Last year we were at the bottom of the totem pole in sacks. I think it effected the defense tremendously. We want the defense to be a success. We got to get more sacks.”
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