Brandon Jones may not be the loudest name in the Broncos’ secondary, but he’s become one of the most important.
While Talanoa Hufanga has grabbed plenty of attention over the last couple of weeks - especially after his two interceptions in Denver’s 30-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams - Jones has been right there beside him, healthy again and making plays as the veteran presence in the back end. According to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, Jones has settled back in after missing time with a torn pectoral muscle, and the Broncos are benefiting from it.
This is Jones’ seventh NFL season and his third in Denver, and he’s in the final year of a three-year, $20 million deal that has turned into a major bargain for the team. He’s also now the elder statesman of the group. Jones has the longest tenure of any defensive back on Denver’s 53-man roster, and at 28, he and Taylor Rapp - who was signed to the practice squad last month - are the oldest in the room.
The production has followed the experience. Jones is second on the team with 31 tackles, behind only Alex Singleton’s 47, and his 21 solo tackles are nearly double anyone else on the defense outside of Singleton, who leads the Broncos with 22 solo stops.
Jones and Gabriel describe the job in two parts. First comes the simple but crucial part: don’t miss tackles.
That’s been a point of emphasis for Denver after the 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the opener. After that, the focus shifts to stripping the ball.
Jones, though, has built a reputation as one of the league’s best open-field tacklers.
He’s also comfortable letting others take the headlines. Hufanga, Pat Surtain and Riley Moss are usually the names that get the most attention on the back end, and Jones doesn’t seem to mind.
Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, though, will put him front and center for reasons he can’t control. Surtain and Moss have both been ruled out, leaving Hufanga and Jones to help cover for new starters Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine. Keeping the Chargers in check will be a major part of Denver’s path to a win, and turnovers remain a key goal.
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