The 49ers won't replace DeForest Buckner with just one player along the defensive line in 2020. Buckner was too productive and durable to have a single replacement.
Buckner missed just one game the past four seasons while recording 28.5 sacks, earning a contract worth up to $84 million following a trade to the Indianapolis Colts. Arik Armstead and No. 14 overall draft pick Javon Kinlaw will be tasked with picking up the slack in the middle.
So will nose tackle D.J. Jones, who might be sliding under the radar on San Francisco's talented, star-laden defensive line. Jones showed flashes of dominance in 2019, during the November prime time games against the Seahawks and Packers, in particular.
"D.J.'s been playing very well," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said in November. "He's explosive. He reminds me of Brandon Mebane back when Mebane was younger. He's just got great balance, great explosion, great foot quickness and a lot of power. He's kind of built low to the ground so he's tough to deal with."
Mebane is a 13-year veteran whom Saleh got to know as a quality control coach with the Seattle Seahawks from 2011 to 2013 while Mebane started every game for the NFL's premier defense.
To reach Mebane's status, Jones, entering his fourth season, will have to prove just as reliable now that there's a window to become more than just a run-stuffing nose tackle.
"I've never really been a third-down guy," Jones said during a video conference call this week. "But I can be that guy, and that's what I'm working on now."
Jones says he's fully healthy after sustaining a dread high ankle sprain in December against the Saints that ended his season prematurely. He was forced to watch the final three regular season games and the Super Bowl run from the sidelines.
Jones has been working out at his home in South Carolina this offseason hoping to improve as a pass rusher to make up for the void left by Buckner. He recorded his first two career sacks last season, including a third down against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in November. He overpowered center Joey Hunt and took Wilson down before he could reach the top of his drop from shotgun.
The key to Jones continuing to improve as a pass rusher is straightforward and commanding his focus during the club's virtual offseason program.
"If I don't stop my feet, I feel like I can get to the quarterback. The second my feet stop, I'm stuck in mud and I'm not going to get to the passer," Jone said. "But as long as I keep moving my feet, as my defensive line coach continues to tell me and that's what I'm working on, I can get to the quarterback."
That sounds easy enough. But it's a stark adjustment for a nose tackle that has primarily been used in rushing situations since getting drafted in the sixth round in 2017.
"With me, stopping my feet, I'm so used to run blocking and standing the guy and looking for the ball to come to me. But with pass rush, you got to go get the quarterback," Jones said.
Jones has been riding out the coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina under the same roof with nine family members, including his fiance, Kayla Fannin, to whom he proposed before the Monday night win over the Cleveland Browns in October.
Jones said his wedding will likely have to be pushed back in 2022. Being sheltered in place has provided valuable family time he otherwise wouldn't have if he were in California going through a traditional offseason program.
"We're closer than we ever have been," Jone said. "We have family night almost every other night. Somebody different is cooking every night."
He also mentioned his father, "Big" Dave Jones, has been cooking up his signature southern barbecue plates he used to cater for the Dallas Cowboys for members of their community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jones said he's excited to work with the rookie Kinlaw, who also has roots in South Carolina, junior college and the SEC.
"Excuse my language," said Jones, "he's a grown-ass man."
