Dre’Mont Jones could be a key to the Broncos’ success
Jun 22, 2021, 11:40 AM | Updated: 11:58 am
Dre’Mont Jones won’t be lurking in the shadows of a lethal Denver Broncos defense — the defensive lineman may be a huge contributor to the team’s success in 2021.
CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker believes Jones could be a breakout star for Denver after his successful run last season.
“Everyone knows about the defensive dynamic duo in Denver — namely Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. There’s another very talented defensive lineman lurking in the shadows, though, and it’s Jones, a player who stepped up and showed the Broncos something in 2020 that they might be able to hang their hat on this coming season,” Walker wrote.
Broncos Country should remember Jones’ career-best season in 2020. He stepped in when Jurrell Casey suffered a season-ending bicep tear and he never looked back.
While Jones suffered a knee injury himself, he came back and through 13 games finished with 6.5 sacks (the third-most on the team behind Malik Reed and Bradley Chubb), along with 41 tackles and two tipped passes.
“In the absence of Miller and Chubb (later in the season) due to injury, Jones’ second season in the NFL was a career-best,” Walker wrote. “He’d play in 13 games and start in eight of them, nearly doubling the sack tally from his rookie season (3.5) with 6.5 sacks on the year — good enough for third-most on the team — and 41 combined tackles. In addition to that, Jones had 11 hits on the opposing quarterback overall.”
During OTAs Jones set a 10-sack goal on himself for the upcoming season and believes double-digit sacks are attainable.
“I think 10 sacks is very attainable,” Jones said. “It’s very attainable and I don’t expect anything less from myself. I think that’s a goal of mine that I can reach. I’m going to try and reach it.”
Jones could be key to the Broncos’ success in 2021 and if he can stay healthy it could be a big year for him.
“He’s proven he can potentially turn the two-headed monster in Denver into a three-headed hydra, and that’s something that has defensive coordinator Ed Donatell drooling noticeably,” Walker wrote.
