Can Deion Jones Return To Form?
July 26th, 2025
Linebacker Deion Jones.
So Joe finally got to have a 1-on-1 chat yesterday with Deion Jones, the veteran Bucs inside linebacker who once was as Pro Bowler for the Falcons, a guy who has made tens of millions of dollars playing football.
Here Jones is now in Tampa at 30 years old hoping to make a complete return to his star form. But Jones, who appears to be in fantastic shape, is very much a process guy, one day at a time. He feels great after injuries derailed his career, and he’s impressed Bucs coaches a lot. But Jones will tell you it’s a win-each-day grind for him and whatever happens he’s blessed to be a part of it.
The Bucs have a lot of those types of guys; the team comes first and save the chest-pounding for others.
It’s Year 10 for Jones. The 2016 Falcons second-round pick is playing on a minimum salary. He joined the Bucs last December after being on the street all season after Buffalo following Buffalo cutting him in the summer.
A devoted family man, Jones’ love of football runs deep. He knows his role on the roster but hasn’t lost a shred of confidence that he can again be a dominant player. Joe certainly sees a player who looks to have had live legs in spring practices and this week.
It does happen every year in the NFL, a former stud player revives himself for a season or two late in his career. If that’s Jones, then the Bucs’ strong depth just got deeper.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:21 am
That would be a huge boost to an area that needs it.
Crossing my fingers for him. Would love to see him finish on a high note as a Buc.
He sure had game back in the day
July 26th, 2025 at 9:22 am
He’s come to the right place to revive his career. Just ask Baker Mayfield.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:24 am
In Joe’s interview with Bowles, Bowles mentioned rotating ILBs in games. A healthy and experienced Jones could get more snaps this year, and maybe even give LVD a break at times.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Joe … ‘It does happen every year in the NFL, a former stud player revives himself for a season or two late in his career. If that’s Jones, then the Bucs’ strong depth just got deeper.’
Now THAT’S EXCITING Joe. MLB is the 1 position on defense IMO that still has a question mark over it. All the rest have either quality starters OR quality depth (to take their place if the starters don’t hack it). MLB has THREE good guys with either injury considerations or age considerations.
I like Bowles’ idea that Jim Bob mentioned of rotating ILBs, at least initially. If 1 jumps forward & just can’t be taken off the field because of his play, so much the better. Actually I wouldn’t be too surprised to see them do some of that with LVD to keep him fresher.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:37 am
With Dennis’s injury history, having Jones is very comforting.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:44 am
Massive upside if he can regain any serviceable form. He doesn’t have to be what he was he just has to be better than what we have AND stay healthy enough to be on the field.
July 26th, 2025 at 9:45 am
Jones is potentially a Top-10 ILB in the NFL if he truly returns to full form.
I still like SVD and LVD as starters, but it would/will be nice to have zero dropoff when D Jones comes in…
July 26th, 2025 at 10:27 am
I didn’t realize who this Jones was. I’d been thinking he was another UDFA
July 26th, 2025 at 10:37 am
I feel like LB is our weak link on defense. Not that we don’t have talent at inside linebacker but we are thin and injury prone. If Jones or SirVocea Dennis turns out to be as good as advertise and LVD can survive another year, we will be in good shape.
Crazy to believe that we might have upgraded our Edge rushers, inside LBs and CB all in one offseason.
July 26th, 2025 at 10:47 am
I mean, Kyle Van Noy is a good example of a player bouncing back. Hardy Nickerson didn’t get to the pro bowl until he was >30 years old. Not saying it will, but anything we can get from Jones puts us in the bonus in my opinion.
July 26th, 2025 at 10:58 am
Deion Jones is only 30
And his body has had a lot of rest, the last two years
He still have a lot left in the tank
July 26th, 2025 at 11:49 am
We surely need him.
Maybe he can still drop expertly into empty zones .
July 26th, 2025 at 1:00 pm
He played pretty darn good towards the end of the season last year. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
July 26th, 2025 at 2:00 pm
“Maybe he can still drop expertly into empty zones”
Would you rather the zone remain “empty” so uncontested catches can be made and we can get gashed on the flats?
You guys that gripe about that, you do realize we spent about 80% of our defensive snaps in cover 3, with Bowles throwing all types of mods into the coverage to diversify our looks? So we could:
Protect as much grass as possible and generate some semblance of pressure?
You realize anybody who finishes in double digit sack territory for any NFL team will also always have more pressures/near misses than actual QB takedown?
July 26th, 2025 at 2:26 pm
I haven’t seen this defense cover anyone since 2022.
July 26th, 2025 at 2:50 pm
@Warren
You’re talking to people who don’t know what cover 3 is…. Or why it’d be used…. Or what the alternatives are. People who like to throw in “play more press man” without realizing NOBODY plays man to man predominately or why that’s the case.
These are the same people who continually harp on pass yards allowed as a stat that’s Uber important (even though w/l % show it to be less important than many other stats they ignore).
Good luck
July 26th, 2025 at 3:41 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch – Have you actually watched the Bowles version of zone defense, it consists of guys literally just standing around waiting for something to happen. This isn’t the Dungy-Kiffin super tight active zone, it’s a lazy, sloppy, loose zone that allows for QBs to always have someone wide open to throw the ball to when under pressure.
It’s an incredibly frustrating defense to watch, in particular since when they did get more aggressive in coverage, either via man or, heaven forbid a tight zone, that’s when QBs had to hold the ball and the team got sacks.
Lets just hope with the new corners, we’re going to get a more aggressive coverage scheme. There will be a learning curve, mistakes will be made, but hopefully it’s not another year of being destroyed by a 1000 tiny cuts.
July 26th, 2025 at 6:18 pm
Rod Munch … ‘This isn’t the Dungy-Kiffin super tight active zone, it’s a lazy, sloppy, loose zone that allows for QBs to always have someone wide open to throw the ball to when under pressure.’
Interesting description Rod, and I can’t disagree with you. And particularly in the middle of the field it seems. Extremely frustrating.
I’m convinced that the reason is because we blitz so much, and that leaves us trying to run zone with too few defenders. Strange thing is, as I look at the other teams who blitz a lot, almost all of them end up with a lousy pass defense. And yet, the Top-5 teams with the highest blitz percentages all made the playoffs, even though ALL of them but ONE had mediocre Pass Defenses.
1 – Vikings: 38.9% blitzing … #28 Pass Defense
2 – Lions: 34.6% blitzing … #30 Pass Defense
3 – Bucs: 34.2% blitzing … #29 Pass Defense
4 – Chiefs: 31.6% blitzing … #18 Pass Defense
5 – Commanders: 31.5% blitzing … #3 Pass Defense
I was wondering how the Commanders ended up with such a good Pass Defense, especially since they gave up MORE points than we did on the season and ended up with the #18 ranked defense (their Run Defense ranked #30 BTW, and there-in lies their Achilles Heel). I didn’t watch them so I really can’t figure it out, but they do run a 4-3 defense and that MAY explain at least part of it.
I’m not a big advocate of excessive blitzing, and we blitz way too much for my liking. Would much rather sign another beastly NT to rotate with Vea and use a LOT more 4-man rushes, a lot less blitzing, and a lot tighter pass defense. Force our opponents’ offenses to use an extra guy in protection (6 instead of 5) and that SHOULD give us a decent advantage in numbers in Pass Defense (7 vs 4 or at worse 6 vs 4).
July 26th, 2025 at 7:17 pm
he’s been a journeyman the past few years, after his success and big payout in atlanta…
does he care about football or is he just grabbing a few more checks as he fades out…
hopefully duke has a big time revival or something, because we are one or maybe even two linebackers short in the middle…
lavonte’s homie is hurt, dennis doesn’t know what it’s like to be healthy, lavonte can literally go old and gray overnight, it happens sometimes…
we could be going back to the streets or best buy for a linebacker with the blink of an eye – reason for concern…
it seems like i’m the only one in bucs land and on the board that is concerned about ILB depth……i’m baffled……or maybe i’m just stoopid
July 26th, 2025 at 7:19 pm
unless mgmt. thinks they have a couple tradable pieces on the squad, along with draft picks, that can grab an ILB via trade during the season…if we’re true contenders
July 26th, 2025 at 11:41 pm
Don’t anyone dare to speak about any UDFA other than JJ Roberts on FilthyAnimalBucsfan.com! Fred McNeil! 😅🤣🤣😅🤣
July 27th, 2025 at 7:11 am
Good luck Mr Jones! We need your help.
Go Bucs!
July 27th, 2025 at 7:31 am
I am comfortable saying he is at worst a quality depth player. And after last year, we know how much that matters