What will Brandon Jones bring to the Denver Broncos?

Final Thoughts

Brandon Jones is a good player.

He’s a versatile safety who can line up in man or zone coverage and win. He locked up tight ends. He ran with receivers. That’s a great starting point.

In deep zone coverage, Jones was a step ahead of the offense. He was always in the right spot. He knew his job. He communicated well, too.

Jones’ downside in coverage is that he doesn’t have elite physical tools. At 6-foot-1 and about 200 pounds, Jones is pretty typical for a safety. He isn’t the lanky athlete that Justin Simmons is, and that probably plays a big part in why he only has three career interceptions. At 6-foot-3, Simmons has the length to make more plays on the ball, and that’s part of the reason why he leads the NFL in interceptions since entering the league.

Jones, in my opinion, is unlikely to be a major playmaker in coverage. That’s fine. Plenty of safeties aren’t playmakers in the passing game. Kareem Jackson never picked off more than two passes in a season with the Broncos, but he was still a valuable piece of Denver’s coverage unit.

I’m confident that Jones can be an important piece for the Broncos. He’s smart. He reads plays well. He’s athletic enough. He won’t get picked on. I don’t think he’ll be targeted much at all. He’s a plug-and-play cover guy.

By PFF’s counting, Jones was in coverage for 234 snaps from Week 12 onward. He didn’t give up a touchdown. He picked off two passes. He allowed a 29.8 passer rating when targeted.

Those are, obviously, great numbers. Maybe picking up the second and third interceptions of his career in his past four games is a sign of things to come.

In the run game, Jones can handle his business. He isn’t meant to battle linemen. He probably won’t build a reputation as a hitter. That’s not his game.

Jones is a clean tackler. As the last line of defense, that’s the most important role for a safety.

Plus, Jones will earn enough tackles for loss as a blitzer off the edge to make him feel like a plus run defender in a handful of games each year.

Despite his blitzing ability, I think it would be wasteful to only use Jones as a box defender. Sure, he can rush the edge and battle with tight ends and slot receivers in the passing game, but I think he might be at his best playing deep. He’s polished. He’s trustworthy. And while he might not pick off many passes, I think he can lock down deep routes.

A fair comparison for Jones, based solely on one day of watching him, might be Justin Simmons… but without the length and range that makes Simmons a turnover monster. That’s a major caveat, but it leaves a good, trustworthy player who can handle just about any responsibility thrown his way.

For less than $7 million per year, that’s a good deal.

Click here for our breakdown of new Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malcolm Roach.

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