Deion Jones is taking another swing at the Falcons, but the revenge tour has not exactly been a knockout.
The former Atlanta linebacker has agreed to a contract with the New Orleans Saints, giving him a third stop with an NFC South rival after previous stints with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New Orleans is trying to address the hole left by franchise great Demario Davis, and Jones now gets another chance to line up against the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
That draft pick once looked like a steal. Jones burst out of the gate in Atlanta, finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2016 and making the Pro Bowl in 2017. For a while, he looked like the kind of fast, rangy linebacker who could anchor a defense for years.
But the story changed fast. After being limited to six games in 2018, Jones never fully got back to that level. The production still showed up in the box score, yet the overall play didn’t match the numbers, with tackles masking what were, by the source’s account, some poor performances.
Atlanta still invested heavily anyway, signing Jones to a four-year extension worth $57 million. That deal did not age well, and the Falcons and Jones eventually moved on before it ran its course.
Since then, Jones has bounced around the league. He spent time with a seven-win Cleveland Browns team, then moved to Carolina and played for a Panthers defense that won two games. His last two seasons came in Tampa Bay, where he was never a starter.
So now it’s New Orleans, and the third NFC South chapter of this post-Atlanta stretch. Maybe this one gives Jones a real chance to help chase a division title at Atlanta’s expense. Based on how the past few years have gone, though, Falcons fans probably don’t need to lose much sleep.
In Other News...
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For a defense that leans on Bates as one of its most dependable presences, the timing matters, especially this close to game prep. The good news for Atlanta is that the team does not expect the absence to stretch much longer, which keeps this from feeling like anything more than a brief interruption. [Read more 🡒]
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Atlanta filled the open spot by bringing in wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, a straightforward corresponding move that underscores how quickly roster decisions can shift once a player is no longer available. Andersen is now a free agent and can search for another landing spot, but for the Falcons the larger question is how many more pieces they will keep turning over before the defensive gamble is fully behind them. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Rookies Are Already Making This Camp Battle Harder To Ignore
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There is also more going on behind those two. Kendal Daniels is back after an injury, giving the Falcons another young defender trying to carve out a role, and Harold Perkins Jr. has been mentioned as a potential draft steal who could force his way into the conversation. For a team looking to sort out jobs across the roster, the rookies are making that process harder to ignore, and the early competition could end up being one of the more important threads to watch as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]