ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Chiefs Coach Andy Reid had very little to say about missing All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones on Monday.

What he did say carried some weight.

Jones, who is entering the final year of his four-year, $80 million contract, skipped the entirety of the Chiefs’ offseason program and has so far held out all of training camp while trying to secure a new long-term deal. And with their first preseason game now less than a week away, Reid indicated that even superstars such as Jones are missing something by missing camp.

“I don’t know when he’ll be here,” Reid said after Monday’s padded practice on the campus of Missouri Western State University, “but I will tell you that any work he can get is important. It’s a fast game.”

Jones could conceivably hold out the entire preseason, or even the regular season, though it’s unclear what he would gain by that decision. He was evidently fine with relatively modest fines for missing the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp, and appears to be willing to part with $50,000 daily fines for each day he misses in training camp.

But under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the fines increase substantially to an entire game check — about $1.1 million in Jones’ case — for each preseason and regular-season game that he is absent.

The Chiefs are likewise in a bind without Jones on the field.

He was easily their most disruptive pass rusher last season, piling up 15 1/2 sacks and then dominating throughout their playoff run to the Lombardi Trophy.

LIONS: The Detroit Lions have reached an agreement with free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Bridgewater visited the Lions last month, and the team made it clear they were interested in adding him as Jared Goff’s backup.

TEXANS: Offensive tackle Tytus Howard is expected to miss significant time after sustaining a hand injury in camp.

The injury comes after Howard agreed to a three-year, $56 million extension just before the start of camp.

A first-round pick in 2019, Howard has started 54 games in four seasons with the Texans.

BROWNS: Cleveland’s rebuilt defensive line depth suddenly has some weak spots.

Second-year ends Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas are both sidelined with knee injuries and could miss significant time — and possibly the start of the regular season.

Coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that Wright and Thomas are hurt while providing few other details or a timetable for recovery.

Stefanski did say the injuries could stretch into the regular season, which begins Sept. 10 against Cincinnati.

49ERS: Quarterback Brock Purdy will get his first chance to face another team since offseason elbow surgery when San Francisco practices against the Las Vegas Raiders this week but is unlikely to play in the 49ers’ exhibition opener.

Shanahan said Purdy will take part in both joint practices against the Raiders on Thursday and Friday and will get plenty of work with the starting team. Most of San Francisco’s top players will likely sit out the game on Sunday.

Purdy has been working his way back during the first two weeks of training camp, participating in two out of every three practices for the 49ers to build up strength in his surgically repaired right elbow. Shanahan said the team will reevaluate Purdy next week and decide if he’s ready to go three days in a row.

PACKERS: Outside linebacker Rashan Gary took a step forward in his return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament by getting activated from the physically unable to perform list.

Packers Coach Matt LaFleur said Gary will be doing mostly individual work and won’t be participating in any team drills.

CARDINALS: The Arizona Cardinals said they’ve activated rookie linebacker BJ Ojulari from the physically unable to perform list.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Ojulari had been dealing with a knee injury that happened during the offseason, causing him to miss the first two weeks of camp. The 6-foot-2, 248-pounder was the 41st overall pick out of LSU.

COWBOYS: The Dallas Cowboys released kicker Tristan Vizcaino, leaving 28-year-old rookie Brandon Aubrey as the only kicker with two more weeks of training camp in California.

RAMS: Veteran safety John Johnson is returning to the Los Angeles Rams after two seasons in Cleveland.

Johnson has agreed to terms and will officially rejoin the Rams’ roster after he passes a physical. He was at training camp Sunday at UC Irvine as an observer..

Johnson was a third-round draft pick by the Rams in 2017, and he earned a starting job as a rookie. He was a key component of the Rams’ defense during their first Super Bowl season under Coach Sean McVay in the 2018-19 season, and he was Los Angeles’ leading tackler in 2020 after missing much of 2019 because of an injury.

Johnson left the Rams in March 2021 for a three-year, $33.75 million free-agent deal with the Browns.

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