The moment Brandon Jones secured his first interception of the season on Sunday against Tampa Bay transported him back in time.
It came in the first quarter of Sunday’s 26-7 road victory over the Buccaneers when Jones got a bead on Baker Mayfield. Reading the quarterback’s eyes as turned toward receiver Mike Evans, the Broncos safety stepped in front of Evans for the pick before zig-zagging across the field for a 37-yard return to Tampa Bay’s 9-yard line.
“I saw Mike Evans take a vertical release out of some sort of bunch look. I knew the route he was going to run and was able to make a good interception,” Jones said. “I just turned into this little kid playing recess.”
After missing the majority of training camp while nursing a hamstring injury, Jones is still playing his way into game shape. But that hasn’t stopped him from being a reliable presence on the back end of the field.
Through three games, Jones has the third-most total tackles on the team with 19. In the six times he’s been targeted, Jones has allowed four catches for 26 yards and a passer rating of 36.1. His performance thus far has been one of the reasons the Broncos are eighth in takeaways (four), second in passing yards allowed (133.1 per game) and third in total defense (259.3).
“(Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph) knows when to dial it up,” Jones said. “We all have that juice and energy, and really want to play extremely well for him.”
Jones came to Denver hoping to prove he can be known for more than his blitzing ability. Sunday was a sample of what the former Texas standout can do as a playmaker. His interception and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter were momentum-swinging.
After Jones’ interception set up a rushing touchdown from running back Jaleel McLaughlin, he helped put the game out of reach in the fourth. Second-year cornerback Riley Moss punched the ball from tight end Cade Otton before Jones made the recovery and burst 34 yards down the field. Denver got back on offense and ran down the clock to secure its first win of the season.
Despite the victory, Jones was frustrated because he let two opportunities to score a touchdown slip through his fingers. Jones said he got carried away and didn’t see the pathway his teammates created for him on both takeaways.
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“I got a little too busy with my eyes, trying to look around,” Jones said. “A lot of the defensive guys were upset because they swore that they had the key block to lead me into the end zone and that I refused to follow them.”
Jones has had a smooth transition into Denver’s defense despite the practice time he missed during the summer. He said Joseph’s scheme has similarities to Miami’s defense in 2023, which was led by former Broncos coach Vic Fangio — now the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
Even though Jones didn’t have a ton of physical practice reps in the summer, he was engaged in walkthroughs. The biggest challenge, however, was the lack of cardio. Jones said he was “super winded” after both turnovers.
“Not being able to do a lot of running has been a little challenging,” Jones said. “Slowly but surely, I’m getting my full endurance back.”
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