Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: LB Vi Jones - Poised For Sophomore Leap?

Having gotten his feet wet with a handful of regular season snaps on special teams as a rookie, a bigger, stronger Vi Jones intends to make his presence known in a wide-open battle for a backup linebacker role with the Seattle Seahawks.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 22, 2023 2:03 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Vi Jones, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-2, 225 pounds

2022 Stats: No statistics in three games played

Originally enrolled at USC as a four-star recruit, Jones played two seasons for the Trojans before transferring to North Carolina State. After sitting out a year, he starred on special teams for the Wolfpack in 2020, tying the national lead with three blocked kicks. Becoming a full-time starter in 2021, he set career-bests with 45 tackles and half a dozen sacks while also generating four forced fumbles. Despite an impressive pro day workout, the athletic linebacker went undrafted and signed with the Seahawks as a priority undrafted free agent.

Though he didn't make Seattle's 53-man roster out of camp after producing 10 tackles and a sack in the preseason, Jones showed enough seeing action as an off-ball linebacker and edge defender to warrant a return on the practice squad. He earned three game day elevations as a rookie, playing 43 snaps on special teams.

Best-Case Scenario: Benefiting from a full offseason hitting the weight room, Jones builds off of a strong offseason program to emerge as a standout during the preseason, racking up tackles in bunches on defense and special teams to earn himself a spot on Seattle's 53-man roster as a reserve linebacker behind Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Devin Bush.

Worst-Case Scenario: Still a bit light to play linebacker or rush off the edge in the NFL, Jones loses out on defensive snaps to Jon Rhattigan and rookie Patrick O'Connell and gets waived during final roster cuts, returning to the practice squad for further development.

What to Expect in 2023: On numerous occasions this offseason, coach Pete Carroll has brought up Jones' name unprompted, referencing the work he has put in adding muscle to his lean frame and his improvements on the field. One of the more intriguing returning young players on Seattle's roster, while he may transition to being a full-time off-ball linebacker, his ability to play outside linebacker boosts his overall value and he will now have the opportunity to learn from Wagner, who returned as a free agent after spending last season with the Rams.

Competing against Rhattigan and O'Connell for snaps in August, Jones will have to exhibit a better understanding of run fits and improve at shedding blocks to make plays in the run game to maximize his chance at winning a roster spot as a reserve. But his athleticism and special teams prowess should give him an advantage and with him already squarely on Carroll's radar and Brooks potentially out to start the season recovering from a torn ACL, a stellar training camp and preseason could put him on the right side of the bubble to land on the Seahawks initial 53 this time around. At worst, it would be a surprise for him not to return to the practice squad to continue sharpening up his game.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles