Why Chiefs’ Coach Says Chris Jones Is NFL’s ‘Best There Is’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City defensive line coach Joe Cullen spoke from the podium at team headquarters prior to practice on Thursday. The Chiefs (3-3) are hosting the Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) on Sunday (12 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan).

To view his comments, watch and read below:

On Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty:

“Well, I'll tell you what now; they do a great job, Coach (Chip) Kelly and Coach (Pete) Carroll. They've emphasized the run game and Jeanty, he can make all the cuts. I mean, you look at the Chicago game when he broke those long runs. You look at the Washington game, he had some great runs in there. Every week, he's gotten better and better.

“So, it's all hands on deck. All 11. We're going to have our hands full. He's a heck of a player. He was at Boise, and he's continuing to do it. He's got like 430 yards rushing and top 10 in the league. So, we got our hands full, run and pass.”

ashton jeant — Oct 12, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

On how he’s seen Chip Kelly evolve:

“Well, I think I've known Chip for 37 years. I played at UMass. He was at New Hampshire. He's a phenomenal schemer, offensive coach. He's gonna put his players in best positions to make plays.”

On Derrick Nnadi, Omarr Norman-Lott and the production of the second defensive tackle, next to Chris Jones:

Well, Derrick … (crash) … Whoa, here we go. Raider week. … Well, with Derrick, Derrick’s first, second down, run stop, and he knows tackle. But with him, with Omarr -- Omarr has given some great reps in there. Early on in the year, the Eagles game against Philadelphia, he had his first career sack. And then, obviously, in the Giant game, he had 22 snaps and played the run and the pass well.

“And Jerry Tillery, he's done a good job in there. So, it's an ongoing process, and those guys are going to continue to get better.”

omarr norman-lot — Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (55) tackles New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On his goals for the weekly run-game meetings he leads:

“Well, everything starts with Coach Spags (Steve Spagnuolo); he gives us the goals for the week. And he, like I said, before, Coach Spags does a great job. He empowers. He gives ownership to all the assistant coaches, not just the position coaches, but all the young coaches as well. They have a certain game-plan part of the week that they have to present.

“We have a little run-game meeting. , and what our goals are, who we got to stop, how we're going to stop them. And, it's just part of football.”

derrick nnadi, nick bolto — Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (91) looks to tackle Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

On the continuing emphasis from Chris Jones on getting the quarterback on the ground, more important than just pressure:

“No, no question about it. We have a saying, pressures and hits are great but we want him on his back. And we’ve had our opportunities, and we're continuing to get better. And usually, analytics will tell you, that usually leads to sacks. We had some great tight coverage the other night with (Jared) Goff. I mean, he got rid of the ball in 2.2 (seconds, on average), faster than anyone we've seen all year.

“So, when you get rid of the ball, when the coverage is there, rush has got to be there. And, Coach Spags had a great call at the end of the game. We locked them down. Chris (Jones) had a great move inside, had him wrapped up, and Charles (Omenihu) cleaned him up. We had opportunities earlier to do that; didn't get him down. But it's just an ongoing process; you got to keep getting better at it. When the coverage is there, rush has to be; that goes hand in hand.”

mike tyso — Jun 28, 1991; Las Vegas, NV, USA: FILE PHOTO; Mike Tyson (black trunks) battles Donovan Ruddock (white trunks) during their heavyweight fight at The Mirage. Tyson defeated Ruddock by unanimous decision in 12 rounds. Mandatory Credit: MPS-Imagn Images | MPS-Imagn Images

On how he spices up the run-game meetings:

“Well, I think all the coaches do a great job with their area. We just, there might be some things in there that we put in and we talk about. But it's just being creative with it.”

On whether he uses visual aids:

“There's some visual aids. I like Mike Tyson, if you have to knock the run out, I want to show Mike Tyson knocking some people out.”

joe cullen, chris jone — Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen with defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On coaching Chris Jones after the last play of the Jacksonville game, and their relationship:

“Well, I learned this from my mentor a long time ago: You're only as good as your last play. That last play, that particular day, we weren't very good, coaching, me, and then playing. And it wasn't just Chris.

“But you got to put that behind you and learn from it, and move forward and give your best effort the next play. There was some great efforts leading up to that play, when we got the quarterback down, and should have got him down that time, but was just one of those fluke things.

ashton gillotte, dyami brow — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dyami Brown (5) rushes for yards against Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Ashton Gillotte (97) and linebacker Nick Bolton (32) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“And the thing that we try to stress from Coach Reid on down, Coach Spags does a great job of it, you never know when that play is going to come. So, that play could come on the third play of the game, could come on the 63rd play of the game. You give everything you have till you can't give any more, and that doesn't happen.

“But Chris is as good as there isn't in the NFL, at his position. And he bounced back great, and he had a great game last week when we needed it the most. In crunch time, he was there.”

On the one area of emphasis he’s focused on now:

“Every day in your technique; every day in your technique. I mean, from the run game, when Spags asks you to drop, I mean, it's just ongoing, every game.”

Chiefs Kingdom, the Internet’s No. 1 one-stop source for breaking news and info is absolutely free with OnSI; the easiest way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And don’t forget to share your thoughts on Joe Cullen by visiting our Facebook page (here).