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Thanks to Aaron Donald’s retirement in March, there is actually competition for the top defensive tackle in the NFL going into the 2024 season.
In a poll of coaches, scouts and executives from around the league conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones beat out Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets as the top defensive tackle.
Jones and Williams were the only players on the list who received first-place votes. Jones didn’t finish lower than second on any ballot after racking up 29 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 16 starts last season.
“His size and consistent dominant effort is just so hard to block,” one NFL executive told Fowler about Jones. “He’s such a mismatch because of how long and strong he is, and he can win from every spot—edge, over center, in the B gap.”
Williams and Lawrence were listed as low as eighth on some ballots. Justin Madubuike appeared on all the ballots, with a range of second to seventh place.
None of the other six players in the top 10 were named on every ballot. Tennessee Titans standout Jeffery Simmons was the highest-ranked player (No. 4) who was unranked by at least one person who voted.
It speaks to how much depth is at the position right now that eight of the 10 players listed all received at least one vote in the top three. Derrick Brown of the Carolina Panthers and DeForest Buckner of the Indianapolis Colts were both voted second by at least one person.
Coming off back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks and All-Pro first-team selections, Jones was able to cash in this offseason. He signed a five-year, $158.8 million deal to remain with the Chiefs.
The contract made Jones the highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL by average annual salary ($31.8 million). Donald was the only other player at the position earning at least $30 million per season ($31.7 million).
