Brett Veach says he is ‘hopeful’ Chris Jones plays vs. Lions Week 1

The Kansas City Chiefs finally made a roster move regarding Chris Jones on Tuesday at the 53-man roster deadline, placing him on the Reserve/Did Not Report list. More or less, it means he is not currently on the roster.

As is well known by now, the disgruntled defensive tackle is currently seeking a contract extension as he enters the final year of his current deal. General manager Brett Veach joined the media for a Zoom session following the cut on Wednesday.

Simply considering where the circumstances have gone over the past few weeks (with Jones recently teasing a Week 8 arrival to the team), Veach’s answer when asked about whether Jones would play against the Detroit Lions in Week 1 was notably optimistic.

“Certainly hopeful for that,” said Veach. “We have been in communication. Actually, just the last two days, we’ve been in more communication. We’re going to continue to press on and work hard, and [there’s] a lot of respect on both sides of this thing. It’s been well stated about how we feel about Chris, and he feels the same way.

“Again, we’re just going to keep working on this thing, and we’re looking forward to next Thursday, and hopefully, he’s in the lineup and ready to go.”

The Chiefs’ general manager was pressed on whether his words meant the two sides were close to a new agreement or that Jones could potentially return to Kansas City and just play on the final year of his contract.

Veach kept those discussions close to his vest.

“We’ve been in communication, and I think I’d like to keep all of those communications between us and them, just out of respect for the whole process — in the hopes that we can continue to work to get something done.”