Taken in the third-round of the 2018 NFL draft, defensive tackle Justin Jones was a ghost the majority of last season. His presence didn’t come until later on when the team was thin at the position after the losses of Brandon Mebane and Corey Liuget.
The two games that he started came in the playoffs against the Ravens and Patriots. In those games alone, Jones showed some promise in the trenches, posting six tackles, two quarterback hits and a sack. On the season, Jones amassed 26 tackles and a half-sack in 15 games.
Los Angeles added Jerry Tillery and Cortez Broughton in the draft and also re-signed Mebane and Damion Square but that shouldn’t hinder Jones’ playing time in 2019. He should see an uptick of snaps but the questions remain if those will come from the nose tackle spot behind Mebane or the three-technique, splitting time with Tillery.
No matter where he plays along the interior part of the defensive line, Jones is eager to benefit from that “Year 2 leap” that so many NFL players experience when they show up feeling more comfortable and confident with a full year of experience under their belts.
“I feel like I’m able to make that next step,” he said. “I feel I am going to make that next step. I put in a lot of work this offseason. I put in a lot of extra work with the guys after workouts and everything. Just getting my mind right, studying film. Taking the areas that I needed to improve on, just making those things better and just helping the guys out in my room just like they’re helping me,” Jones said, per the team’s official website.
