Kansas City is betting that highly drafted rookies Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas will give its future hall of famer the support he's been missing. This summer for Chris Jones was different. The realization really hit Jones, the Chiefs' star pass rusher, in early June, when he kept looking around in the huddle. He was reminded again in early August, during one of the Chiefs' first fully-padded practices. A large number of the reps taken featured Jones lined up next to rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods, the Chiefs' second of two first-round picks. On the other side of Jones, the defensive end sometimes was R Mason Thomas, another rookie, this one the Chiefs selected in the draft's second round.

Jones is aware that Woods, 21, and Thomas, 22, are a decade younger than him. One of the teammates Woods and Thomas have gravitated to the most is Jones, who at age 32 is the Chiefs' best defender and their longest-tenured. "That's a nice way to say you're old," Jones said, laughing. Youth is just one element of the Chiefs' changes on defense. Even Jones' fellow starting interior lineman is Khyiris Tonga, who joined the team in free agency. Those major changes were what the Chiefs believe this offseason was necessary for the franchise to return to contention after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

No other part of the roster received as many newcomers, draft capital and overhaul than along the Chiefs' defensive line. Woods and Thomas are the first duo of defensive linemen the Chiefs selected in the first and second rounds of the same draft since 2002. All those efforts, led by coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and longtime coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, were made to fix one of the team's biggest issues: the pass rush. "Besides Chris, you want guys that can [get] pressure," Reid said. "You've got to make them uncomfortable -- and you have to have the guys to be able to do that."

Unlike any previous year under Spagnuolo, this year's path for the defense to be most effective is expected to be made through improved production of the linemen. In early August, one rep featured Jones and defensive end George Karlaftis on one side, with Woods and Thomas working from the left. Together, they pressured quarterback Patrick Mahomes, forcing a short pass that resulted in an interception. The following week, Woods knocked down Mahomes' pass without touching the quarterback, and the second-closest defender was Thomas.