If we’re going to nitpick the Denver Broncos defense, which was one of the best in the NFL, it’s easy to point out where improvements need to be made or where the fat can be trimmed a little bit.
Just to clarify — it’s definitely nitpicking. The Broncos going 10-7 and making the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they were projected to win 5.5 games on their preseason over/under totals makes this year a resounding success. Even if it did end in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round.
The Broncos need better inside linebackers and are paying too much for their one, true interior defensive line position, where defensive tackle D.J. Jones (actually playing nose tackle) just finished out the 3-year, $30 million contract he signed in March 2022.
While Jones will surely be an attractive option to other teams, his annual $10 million salary only equaled 42 tackles, 1.0 sacks and 1 TFL in 2024 — numbers not indicative of that type of salary and definitely not for a player about to turn 30 years old.
Jones’ expected departure is the main reason why the latest CBS Sports 2025 mock draft has the Broncos projected to take 6-foot-3, 339-pound Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant at No. 20 overall.
From CBS Sports: “Kenneth Grant is a stout, run-stuffing interior defender. Grant most closely resembles a traditional nose tackle but offers more pass-rush potential than others in that community. D.J. Jones is slated to hit free agency at season’s end.”
Jones Could Have Several Suitors in Free Agency
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks Jones could land with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency — one of several teams who could go after the 9-year veteran.
“The Cowboys need to revamp a defensive front that has been laughably bad against the run this season,” Holder wrote on November 21. “Addressing the defensive line in free agency may require a budget approach … D.J. Jones, who will turn 30 in January, might be the sort of bargain the Cowboys can afford. He’s a stout run defender who can provide a bit of an interior pass rush and rarely misses time.”
Jones was a sixth round pick (No. 198 overall) by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2017 NFL draft after starring at East Mississippi Community College — made famous by the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U” — then starting 15 games at Ole Miss over 2 seasons.
Jones was a key rotational player on the defensive line his first 2 seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2019 as the 49ers won an NFC Championship. He had a career-best year in 2021 with 56 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 10 QB hits and started all 17 games — a breakout year that led to his contract with the Broncos.
Grant One of College Football’s Dominant Players
Grant has been one of college football’s dominant defensive players over the last 2 seasons, helping lead Michigan to a CFP national championship in 2023 and becoming a 2-time All-Big Ten pick and All-American in 2024.
“(Grant) is a gift from the football gods,” former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Grant after he signed with the Wolverines.
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