RENTON, Wash. — Over the primary half of 2023, Dre’Mont Jones was nearly solely a defensive sort out, lining up inside on the overwhelming majority of his snaps.
Over the second half, he was predominantly a defensive finish.
And by the point his first season with the Seattle Seahawks was within the books, Jones was one thing of an enigma, a extremely proficient participant whose affect did not fairly match up with the hype that accompanied his arrival as one of many largest free agent acquisitions in franchise historical past.
Enter Mike Macdonald.
The Seahawks’ new head coach is not putting in a copy-and-paste model of the scheme he coordinated in Baltimore over the past two seasons, however he’s bringing with him components that made the Ravens’ protection maybe the hardest within the NFL to resolve. One of many methods by which they plan to maintain opposing offenses guessing and put their defenders in advantageous positions is by continuously transferring them round up entrance.
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That is why versatility has been the buzzword of the offseason amongst Seahawks defensive linemen, coaches and even their personnel division.
“One factor that I’d emphasize is versatility,” assistant basic supervisor Nolan Teasley mentioned earlier than the draft when requested concerning the change in defensive fashion from former coach Pete Carroll to Macdonald.
“I feel they most likely touched on it by retaining [Leonard Williams]. His skill to play up and down the road of scrimmage relying on the entrance and personnel. I do know a participant that we’re actually enthusiastic about, that they are enthusiastic about transferring round is Dre’Mont Jones due to his skill off the sting, his skill to hurry anyplace from the three-technique to the six, perhaps even out to the 9.”
Williams, who re-signed in March after arriving by way of commerce final October, mentioned he is been working at 5 different positions along with his common spot as a three-technique defensive sort out.
“I feel it advantages us in creating matchups the place you are placing the defensive participant in the very best place and then you definitely’re additionally complicated the offense,” Williams mentioned throughout minicamp earlier this month.
“It makes it more durable for the offense to check us figuring out that they could see Dre’Mont at a five-technique on movie, after which once we line up and play in opposition to them, he is most likely going to be enjoying zero- or three-technique. So it is more durable for an offense to scheme in opposition to one particular participant as a result of we transfer round a lot.”
Can that assist Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde unlock the 27-year-old Jones?
His debut season with the Seahawks was extra strong than spectacular, at the very least relative to expectations that got here along with his massive contract.
The three-year, $51.53 million deal Jones signed with Seattle final March simply made him the highest-paid free agent acquisition of the Carroll-John Schneider period. His $17.18 million common far surpassed the $9.53 million common of the deal the Seahawks gave outdoors linebacker Uchenna Nwosu 12 months earlier, which was beforehand probably the most that regime had spent on one other staff’s free agent.
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Jones produced career-highs in tackles (49) and QB hits (12) whereas enjoying in all 17 video games, and certainly one of his 4.5 sacks got here within the last minute of a Christmas Eve recreation in opposition to the Tennessee Titans to assist the Seahawks shut out a three-point win that stored their playoff hopes alive.
However that was Jones’ lowest sack complete since his 2019 rookie season with the Denver Broncos, when he posted 3.5 (he recorded 6.5, 5.5 and 6.5 over the subsequent three years). His 5 tackles for loss have been additionally his fewest since 2019.
One thought contained in the Virginia Mason Athletic Middle is that Seahawks coaches did not use Jones in a approach that maximized his strengths. In keeping with ESPN Stats and Info, he performed 329 snaps at defensive sort out and solely 45 at defensive finish over the primary 9 video games. Then after Nwosu went down with a torn pectoral in October and Williams arrived by way of commerce eight days later, Jones moved outdoors, enjoying 302 snaps at finish and 61 at sort out over the ultimate eight video games.
So whereas the Seahawks did make the most of Jones’ versatility final season, they did not accomplish that on a play-by-play foundation like their new employees intends to in 2024.
And whereas their precise plans for particular person gamers are nonetheless being sorted out, indicators level to the sting probably being one thing of a house base for Jones. That may make sense given how well-stocked Seattle is at defensive sort out with Williams, Jarran Reed, first-round decide Byron Murphy II and veteran addition Johnathan Hankins, amongst others.
Over the offseason, Jones’ private coach shared a video of Jones dropping into protection throughout an on-field exercise. Throughout minicamp, he took half in place drills with the skin linebackers. That was after he confirmed up weighing round 265-270 kilos, down from his listed weight of 281.
Throughout an 11-on-11 interval within the second minicamp apply, Jones lined up on the sting reverse Williams with Seattle’s protection in dime, after which just a few performs later he was inside subsequent to Williams in a nickel package deal.
“I feel his skillset lends to making an attempt to play a little bit matchup ball with him or setting one other man up,” Macdonald mentioned. “He can do a variety of issues. We have talked about it, however we’re actually enthusiastic about Dre’Mont.”
Macdonald credited Jones for being in “nice form” and for staying on top of things with Seattle’s defensive set up regardless of being away from the power throughout voluntary Organized Crew Actions; Jones posted on Instagram earlier this month that he lately turned a father for the second time.
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“He knew a variety of the stuff we have been doing despite the fact that he hadn’t been within the constructing,” Macdonald mentioned.
Earlier than departing for the pre-training camp summer season break, the Seahawks transformed $9.875 million of Jones’ $11 million base wage for 2024 right into a signing bonus and added a pair of void years onto the tip of his deal as a way to create $7.4 million in wage cap area. That is a standard restructure executed solely to present Seattle some wanted respiratory room in opposition to the spending restrict, as no new cash was added.
The larger change for Jones shall be along with his increasing position alongside Seattle’s defensive position.
“When you’ve gotten guys that may do a number of issues, play completely different gaps within the run recreation and rush at completely different ranges within the cross recreation and you may have extra massive guys, it simply opens up extra personnel teams, extra appears to be like you may generate,” Macdonald mentioned. “General, it is good for us. … We’ll sort of reassess how the spring has been, reassess our plan going into camp, after which as camp goes, we’re going see the way it evolves all through camp. I feel it’s a must to have that perspective. For those who simply cookie cutter it … I feel you restrict your self on how far you may take your staff.”
