The Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) are looking to keep the momentum they got in their last game when they meet the Baltimore Ravens (1-2) on Sunday. Kansas City holds the all-time advantage 9-5-0 and would like to add to that advantage, but injuries and missed time threaten to spoil those plans.

But the one name that really surprised Chiefs fans is defensive tackle Chris Jones. A staple on the defensive line and one of the leaders for the team, Jones has been a source of stability even as Kansas City sorted through early-season inconsistency. He has been surprisingly listed on the injury report, leading to questions about his availability.

Why isn’t Chris Jones playing?

The Chiefs surprised fans and analysts alike on Saturday by adding star defensive tackle Chris Jones to the injury report just ahead of their Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The designation? “Non-injury related – personal.”

The team made the announcement on X, stating, ”We are adding DT Chris Jones to the injury report (non-injury related – personal). He has no game status designation.” The Chiefs did not provide any further details, and while Jones remains eligible to play, his status for the game is uncertain.

The designation indicates that Jones is not injured but is rather away from the team due to personal reasons.

At present, he’s labeled healthy, but his status is still in doubt. The six-time All-Pro hadn’t appeared at all on the injury report during the first three weeks of the season, so the news is particularly disconcerting.

However, one thing is certain, though: Jones is not hurt, and his loss, if it persists, would radically alter the Chiefs’ defensive line against a strong Baltimore attack paced by Lamar Jackson.

Chiefs Defensive concerns grows

In his 10th NFL season now, Chris Jones is still the linchpin of Kansas City’s defensive line. The DT has five tackles, a sack, and three tackles for loss in the first three games of 2025. In three weeks, Jones has played 163 snaps-more than 80% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps-demonstrating his durability and value.

However, Jones was given no game designation, so there is a chance that the team is expecting him to play on Sunday. Apart from this, the Chiefs also announced they would elevate Kevin Knowles and defensive tackle Brodric Martin for Sunday’s game. This update came right before they announced the Chris Jones update. For Kevin, this will be his third consecutive game this season.

However, the teams only concern is not Jones, they have other injuries as well. Defensive end Mike Danna is doubtful for Week 4 with a quad injury. Cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte are questionable, deepening the team’s depth issues along the front.

Kansas City’s defense has been the stronger side of the ball so far this year, and losing multiple starters at the same time has the possibility to swing the game in favor of Baltimore.

For quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense, the silver lining is that wide receiver Xavier Worthy will finally be back on the field after being out since his Week 1 collision with Travis Kelce. However, it will be difficult to fill-in for Jones.

The Chiefs may revise his status nearer to kickoff, but for now, his status is among the largest question marks entering Week 4.