Even with the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, the New York Giants aren’t content to sit back and wait for more roster improvements. On Monday, general manager Joe Schoen will host another free agent in linebacker Deion Jones.
Former #Browns and long-time #Falcons star LB Deion Jones is visiting the #Giants today, source said. They may not be done adding at the LB position.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 3, 2023
The seven-year veteran spent the first six years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to the Cleveland Browns in October.
At the time of the trade, Jones had yet to appear in a game after being placed on the injured reserve following offseason shoulder surgery. Jones would go on to appear in 11 games for the Browns, starting five, and making 44 tackles (six for a loss) while registering 2.5 sacks.
The injury-shortened 2022 season broke a streak of three-straight seasons with over 100 total tackles for Jones. In fact, his two injury-shortened seasons, 2018 and 2022, are the only two seasons in his seven-year career in which Jones didn’t register over 100 total tackles.
He finished in third place for Defensive Rookie of the Year after making 108 tackles and intercepting three passes in 2016 and then was named to the Pro Bowl in 2017 after notching 138 tackles (10 for a loss) and snagging three interceptions. While his Pro Football Focus grades have dropped over the past couple of years, Jones has remained a stalwart in the middle of the field, missing few tackles and always seemingly around the football.
He would fit in well in New York as a complement to big-ticket free agent signing Bobby Okereke. Jones would likely fill an off-ball role in sub-packages, which the Giants use often, which means that the team could make good use of his plus athleticism and experience without having to rely on him as an every-down player.
Even though he no longer has the same explosion that he did as a rookie, he remains a speedy linebacker, who can cover sideline-to-sideline and would add good depth for a Giants defense that has already added, Okereke, defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, safety Bobby McClain, linebacker Jihad Ward, and cornerback Amani Oruwariye.
Considering the Giants allowed the sixth most rushing yards in the NFL last season and were one of just three teams to allow over five yards per carry, adding a little more punch to their front seven makes sense, as does adding veteran depth to a team hoping to make another postseason run.
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