Through 3 games of the 2024 NFL regular season, the Denver Broncos have already established themselves as one of the league’s premiere defenses — they rank 3rd in the NFL in team defense headed into a Week 4 game at the New York Jets on Sept. 29.
While the Broncos have piled up 11 sacks through their first 3 games — including 7 sacks in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 — one player who hasn’t head his name called much in that stretch is defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who only has 7 tackles and 1 QB hit so far.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder and Alex Ballentine both think Jones could be a prime trade candidate for the Broncos before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Ballentine has the NFC North contender Green Bay Packers as a possible trade destination for Jones, while Ballentine has the less-likely scenario of Jones moving to AFC West foe Los Angeles Chargers in a rare, in-division trade.
“Defensive tackle has been a sore spot for the Packers to begin the year with Kenny Clark battling an injury and the rest of the group underperforming,” Ballentine wrote. “(Jones) would be a good pickup because he has experience playing several different alignments on the interior defensive line, lining up anywhere from nose tackle to a 4i-technique. So he could be a solid depth piece to call upon if someone else is struggling.”
Jones Played Way Into Big Payday in Denver
Jones, 6-foot and 305 pounds, was a star at junior college powerhouse East Mississippi Community College, where he won back-to-back NJCAA national championships. Jones played 2 seasons at Ole Miss after juco and the San Francisco 49ers selected Jones in the 6th round (No. 198 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.
“Jones has a freaky combination of power and athleticism that isn’t seen all that often,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about Jones in his pre-draft profile. “While his playing style is reminiscent of Grady Jarrett’s, keep in mind that he’s a bigger player. Despite his impressive play attributes, Jones failed to generate the production that his flashes on tape would indicate he’s capable of. If a coach can unlock more consistency, Jones has a chance to flourish as a one-gapping nose with three-down ability.”
Jones was a role player for his first 2 seasons for the 49ers before emerging into a full-time starter. He signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract with San Francisco in 2021 and had the best season of his career with 56 tackles, 10 TFL, 2.0 sacks and 10 QB hits.
His play that season turned into a career payday with the Broncos, who signed him to a 3-year, $30 million free-agent contract in March 2022.
Broncos May Not Want to Mess With Chemistry
The Broncos might be hesitant to deal Jones as it might impact chemistry on a defense that’s now hitting on all cylinders after winning their first game of the season against the Buccaneers.
Out of the Broncos’ 11 sacks through 3 games, 10 of them have come from edge rushers — something that might be in part credited to Jones being able to hold his own against interior offensive linemen who would otherwise be chipping out to help block those edge rushers. Food for thought before any possible trade.