Falcons' Deion Jones: Will miss offseason due to surgery
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Jones underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the entire offseason, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Jones is due a team-high $20.05 million in 2022, and there's rumors that Atlanta is planning on releasing or trading the linebacker this offseason in an attempt to expedite the rebuild process. However, regardless of where he ends up, his availability for the start of the year has quickly become the top story of his offseason.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Role with ATL isn't secured
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Jones isn't expected to start the season in Atlanta, Jeff Schultz of the Athletic reports.
Jones is due a team-high $20.05 million in 2022, and according to Schultz, the possibility he doesn't start the season with Atlanta is "almost certain." Cutting Jones before June 1 wouldn't save the Falcons any money, but if they cut him post-June 1, they'd save $1.07 million in 2022 and would have him off the books for 2023. However, trading the 2016 second-round pick appears to be the team's preference as long as the deal would transfer most of Jones' financial guarantees, but that appears to be a steep sell for an aging linebacker. Regardless, Jones finished his sixth season in the NFL with 137 tackles (one shy of his career high) and two sacks and could certainly provide a defensive boost to a playoff contender if he is indeed moved by Atlanta at some point in the future.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Pedestrian performance in finale
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Jones made six tackles (four solo) during Sunday's 30-20 loss to the Saints.
Jones finished his sixth season in the league with 137 tackles (one shy of his career high), two sacks and one forced fumble. The 2016 second-round pick has recorded at least 100 tackles in every season of his career expect for 2018, when he appeared in only six games. Jones' 2022 contract is fully guaranteed, so he's expected to be back in the middle of Atlanta's defense next season.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Double-digit tackes in win
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Jones had 10 tackles (eight solo) and one pass deflection during Sunday's 20-16 win over the Lions.
Jones notched his first double-digit tackle performance since Week 9. Through 14 games this season, the 27-year-old linebacker has totaled 123 tackles, six pass deflections, two sacks and one forced fumble. Jones remains a reliable option in most IDP formats and will have an interesting matchup with the Bills in Week 17.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Seven tackles in Week 15
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Jones recorded seven tackles (five solo) during Sunday's 31-13 loss to the 49ers.
Jones has failed to register at least 10 tackles in five straight games since he started the season out with double-digit tackles in six of the first eight weeks. Despite the lack of explosive performances, the 27-year-old continues to be a consistent producer, which makes him a reliable option in most IDP formats. Jones should have an advantageous matchup against the Lions in Week 16.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Finishes with nine stops
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Jones had nine tackles (six solo) and two passes defensed during Sunday's 30-17 loss to Tampa Bay.
Jones missed last week with a shoulder injury and had only five tackles in each of his previous two contests, but he rebounded with solid production Sunday. The 27-year-old had 101 tackles (59 solo), two sacks and one forced fumble in 11 games, and he's poised to set his highest tackle total since posting 138 during 2017.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Questionable with shoulder injury
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Jones (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Jacksonville after being limited in practice Friday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Jones is an integral part of Atlanta's defense, having notched 10-plus tackles on six different occasions this season. If he's unable to play come Sunday, Mykal Walker would likely take on a larger role in Atlanta's linebacker corps.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Double-digit tackes in two straight
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Jones registered 14 tackles (10 solo) and one forced fumble during Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Panthers.
Jones has recorded 29 tackles over his last two games and 72 tackles through the first seven contests of the season. The 26-year-old linebacker is on pace for a career year and remains a top-tier IDP option moving forward. He will look to continue his strong play against Alvin Kamara and the Saints in Week 9.
Jones registered 15 total tackles (11 solo), three tackles for loss and one sack during Sunday's 30-28 win over the Dolphins.
Sunday's performance marked the fourth time that Jones has posted double-digit tackles through the first seven games of the 2021 campaign. The 26-year-old linebacker has 58 tackles on the season and is on pace to surpass 100 tackles for the third straight year. Jones' tackling numbers offer a steady floor for fantasy managers, but his ceiling will grow if he can continue to get after the quarterback, which he may be asked to do more of with Dante Fowler (knee) on injured reserve.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Modest day vs. Jets
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Jones had five tackles (three solo) during Sunday's win over the Jets.
Jones has had double-digit stops in three of five appearances this season, but he didn't get much going during Sunday's overseas matchup against New York. The standout linebacker will enjoy a Week 6 bye, then travel to Miami for a matchup Oct. 24.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Gets to Brady
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Jones posted four tackles (two solo) and a sack in Sunday's 48-25 loss to the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers pass a ton, so Jones' IDP upside was limited, but he made up for it with his first sack of the year. The LSU produce has posted at least 100 tackles in every season in which he played 15 or more games, so fantasy managers shouldn't panic after this bump in the road.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Closes out impressive 2020 campaign
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Jones, who registered four tackles during Sunday's 44-27 loss to the Buccaneers, ended the 2020 season with 106 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 10 QB hits, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.
Jones notched a 67-yard pick-six off of Las Vegas' Derek Carr in Week 12. Otherwise, he largely struggled in coverage this season. The 2017 Pro Bowler surrendered a 74.1 percent completion rate and six touchdowns over 54 targets, a notable decline from the 58.5 completion percentage and four passing TDs he conceded in 16 games last season. Meanwhile, Jones was deployed more than ever in pass-rush, blitzing on 61 occasions after registering 41 combined blitzes in 22 appearances between 2018 and 2019. Results translated, as in 16 games, Jones exceeded his QB hits total from his first 53 career appearances between 2016 and 2019 (six). The linebacker is signed with Atlanta through 2023, carrying a cap hit of $12.6 million next season.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Gets to Brady for Week 15 sack
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Jones registered a team-high 10 tackles, including one sack, during Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Buccaneers.
The LSU product registered two QB hits on Tom Brady, pushing his 2020 sack total to 4.5 with a second-quarter takedown of the Canton-bound signal-caller. That mark more than quadruples a previous career high in sacks for Jones, who has been deployed 50 times as a blitzer this season. In 22 starts between 2018 and 2019, Jones blitzed on a combined 41 occasions.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Yet another impactful showing
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Jones registered 10 tackles and one fumble recovery during Sunday's 21-16 loss to the Saints.
Given his fourth-quarter fumble recovery, courtesy of a Steven Means sack on Taysom Hill, Jones has now generated takeaways in back-to-back games. The 2017 Pro Bowler stands with 78 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions to his ledger as Atlanta prepares to face the recently shut out Chargers in Week 14. Austin Ekeler presents a unique challenge to Jones and Co. as a high-level pass catcher out of the backfield.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Superb outing against Raiders
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Jones recorded five tackles, a pass breakup and a pick-six in Sunday's 43-6 win over the Raiders.
Jones was instrumental in shutting down the Raiders' run attack, as Josh Jacobs was held to just 27 yards on seven carries, while Devontae Booker produced six yards on five rushes. The middle linebacker came through for fantasy managers, too, marking the fifth pick-six of his five-year NFL career. He'll be in charge of slowing down Taysom Hill's run game when the Saints come to town in Week 13.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Sacks Taysom Hill
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Jones registered six combined tackles, including one sack, during Sunday's 24-9 loss to New Orleans.
The 2017 Pro Bowler has stepped up his presence in the pass rush in recent outings, collecting seven QB hits and three sacks in his past five games played. Jones has struggled in coverage comparatively, surrendering 11.3 yards per completion and four touchdown passes in coverage this season. Up next is a matchup against Las Vegas, which offers an opposing quarterback in Derek Carr who is throwing to an uber-efficient 19:3 TD:INT on the year.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Busy day against Panthers
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Jones collected eight total tackles, including five solo tackles during Sunday's 23-16 loss to Carolina.
Atlanta was exposed by the running back position in the passing game once again, surrendering nine catches, 60 yards and a touchdown to Panthers RB Mike Davis on Sunday. This performance came on the heels of allowing five catches, 40 yards and a wide-open receiving TD to Packers back Aaron Jones in a Week 4 loss. Jones is regarded as one of the top coverage linebackers in the league, but of late there have been glaring errors in his area of expertise -- including a TD catch surrendered to Green Bay tight end Robert Tonyan while he was in coverage last Monday night.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Gives up first receiving TD of 2020
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Jones collected eight total tackles, including one tackle for loss during Monday's 30-16 loss to the Packers.
Jones has been considered to be one of the NFL's better coverage linebackers of the past four years, but Packers tight end Robert Tonyan got behind him for one of his three touchdowns on Monday night. Despite now being his team's leading tackler in two consecutive contests, the one-time Pro Bowl linebacker has struggled in coverage this season, surrendering an 83.3 percent completion rate and a 121.5 passer rating when targeted.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Half a sack against Dallas
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Jones registered six total tackles, including half a sack, during Sunday's 40-39 loss to the Cowboys.
The 25-year-old linebacker made a rare contribution in pass rush, garnering his first sack credit of any kind since Dec. 2, 2018. Jones and Co. certainly were not effective in containing Dallas tight end Dalton Schultz, however, as the Cowboys pass-catcher racked up nine catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Jones and the Falcons defense now aim for a bounce-back performance in Week 3, taking on a Bears offense that has accounted for 44 points in its first two games of the new campaign.
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Falcons' Deion Jones: Leadership role continuing to grow
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Jones has been named a Falcons team captain for 2020, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Jones, Grady Jarrett and Ricardo Allen provide a captain at each level of Atlanta's defense, as the unit aims to improve upon a 23rd-place rank in points allowed per game (24.9). The 25-year-old Jones continues to merit consideration as one of the best coverage linebackers in the league, but last year the Falcons became more aggressive in deploying him as a pass-rusher as well. Jones continued to stifle passers and allowed just a 58.5 percent completion rate when targeted last year, while his blitz-per-game rate increased from 0.8 to 2.3 between 2018 and 2019.
