Report: Chris Jones is reporting to Chiefs training camp on time

UPDATE: 2:16 p.m. Arrowhead Time

While Chris Jones has arrived in St. Joseph, the two sides remain separated by a large margin, per NFL Network’s Jeff Chadiha.

According to multiple reports from NFL insiders, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones will join other the other veteran players reporting to Chiefs training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri on Friday.

Jones — now on the last year of his rookie contract — had not reported for any of the team’s other offseason activities while negotiations were underway for a contract extension that could be in the range of a five-year, $100 million deal.

The Chiefs had previously made it clear they would not negotiate with Jones while he was holding himself out of mandatory team activities. Later, reports surfaced that there had been “no change” in the status of the negotiations between the Chiefs and Jones’ camp.

But on Tuesday — when quarterbacks, rookies and injured players reported to camp — Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took an unusual step: commenting on a contract situation. He said that the Chiefs and Jones were talking to each other.

Those talks apparently yielded fruit on Friday, just as CBS Sports salary cap expert Joel Corry predicted on the Arrowhead Pride Podcast Network back on June 20.

With Jones in camp, two things are true that weren’t true before:

1. The way is now clear for Jones and the team to conduct serious negotiations to resolve their differences and make a deal.
2. Jones can begin learning what he needs to know about the new 4-3 defensive scheme that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is installing.

Both of these are welcome pieces of news.