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Evaluating What Broncos DL Dre'Mont Jones Needs to Work on in 2020 Offseason
The Denver Broncos selected Dre’Mont Jones in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones started off his rookie season seeing barely any playing time, but as injuries mounted and starters got benched, he received more reps.
The expectations weren’t high, as defensive linemen tend to take a few years to really develop, but Jones managed to not only meet them, but exceed them.
However, there were a few areas of Jones’ game that showed he still needs to be developed. Of course, that is going to be the case with any rookie, as no player is perfect in year one. In the season finale against the Oakland Raiders, Jones revealed just what those areas are.
The following three plays highlight the areas that the Broncos coaching staff will need to work on with Jones for the 2020 season. With the Broncos set to lose as many as three defensive linemen to free agency, the importance of Jones improving is extremely high.
Denver needs him to step up so they can lessen the impact if the team does end up losing all three of those defensive linemen.
Play 1: 12:04 | First Quarter
Situation: 2nd-&-1
On this first play, Jones is lined up as the 3-tech on the Raiders' right guard. The Raiders are running a stretch to the left side, so Jones’ responsibility it to protect the backend cut-back and crash inside when the ball-carrier makes his cut.
Jones does a great job of staying extended throughout the play to keep the offensive lineman from driving him out of a potential hole. NT Mike Purcell blows things up in front of the ball-carrier, leaving the option to cut back to the right side. Jones does a good job of staying on his feet as the right tackle goes to cut his legs, but as a result, his positioning is given up.
The right tackle does enough to keep the lane open. Jones was supposed to be in the hole where the running back ended up, but he can’t get there with a 300-plus pound lineman diving at his legs. There isn’t much Jones can do here to better the play, but this was a good showing at avoiding the cut-block, which was something he struggled with all season.
Play 2: 6:30 | Second Quarter
Situation: 1st-&-10
This is almost a carbon copy of the first play. Jones is lined up as the 3-tech off the right guard and the Raiders are running a stretch. Both plays also go for very few yards. The difference between the two is how Jones handles the play.
Unlike the previous example, Jones doesn’t do the best job with his hands early in the rep. The right tackle is quick to get into his body and from there, he has a great shot at the cut-block, which he takes. Jones isn’t able to stay on his feet for this one and that is a result of the failure at the start of the rep.
Jones' inconsistency in dealing with cut-blocks is a work in progress. Even though there were multiple cut-blocks in this game that he struggled to deal with, earlier on in the season he had no wins against them. It is a credit to Denver's coaching and Jones himself to make quick improvements and to show the potential growth he can take prior to year two.
Play 3: 9:50 | Fourth Quarter
Situation: 3rd-&-16
On this final play, let's look at Jones as a pass rusher. His pass rush has been his strong suit all season, which is exactly what he was drafted to do. Jones is lined up as the 4i-tech right in the B gap between the right guard and tackle.
Jones is quick to fire off the snap, which was one of his best traits coming out of college, and does an excellent job with his hands against the guard. During the hand fighting, Jones forces the guard to be heavy on his outside foot, which generates power to get the guard more off balance. Once this is done, Jones has the fast lane to the quarterback inside, but the guard is able to recover.
QB Derek Carr gets the ball out as the guard is pushing Jones out of the passing lane. While he didn’t get the sack or batted pass, Jones won this rep and forced Carr to get rid of the ball sooner than he wanted. This resulted in a dump-off to TE Darren Waller that only picked up four yards for the Raiders on the money down.
What it All Means
Jones was drafted with eyes on the future from the Broncos. His rookie year exceeded expectations, but showed there is still a lot of work to be done.
While a starting job isn’t going to be handed to him, if Jones can develop this offseason as rapidly as he did during his rookie campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him win a starting defensive end spot. He has a high ceiling and all the tools to work with and adding that with the scheme and coaching could turn him into a dangerous player.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
