Abry Jones close to re-signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to report

The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have that many free agents to try and retain this offseason, but they are already to close to locking one of them up.

With another offseason to try and snag some marquee free agents, it would behoove the Jacksonville Jaguars to try and lock up their own guys if they fit the bill. It appears that high-profile young players like Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee might have to wait until mid-season to discuss a contract extension, but one guy who should be able to sign a reasonable contract right now is Abry Jones.

According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, that should be happening fairly soon.

This is kind of a no-brainer for the Jaguars. With Roy Miller aging another year and dealing with some serious injuries, Jones has shown he’s the perfect heir apparent as the big defensive tackle in the middle.

More from Jacksonville Jaguars News

• Jacksonville Jaguars should welcome Derrick Henry into the kingdom
• Jaguars Rumors: Trent Baalke seems to be getting respect now
• Jaguars News: This division rival might be making a big move
• Former Jacksonville Jaguars S Johnathan Cyprien: “New Profession, Same Standards”
• Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram officially gets the franchise tag: 3 takeaways

Mostly deployed as a space eater, Jones has shown more upside than Miller as a pass rusher. With the Jaguars hopefully moving away from former head coach Gus Bradley’s  elementary scheme, Jones should be able to thrive with more responsibility. Jones ended up as the 21st highest graded interior defender according to Pro Football Focus, ahead of more well known players like Marcell Dareus, Michael Brockers, Dominique Easley, Derek Wolfe, and Grady Jarrett.

With Jones coming back, the Jaguars actually have a rather formidable rotation of defensive tackles; Malik Jackson played at a high level last year, Sen’Derrick Marks should be a little more fresh a year removed from surgery, and Sheldon Day flashed as a three technique in spurts as a rookie.

The issue isn’t along the interior, but on the edge where the Jaguars desperately need to add another pass rusher, even if Dante Fowler Jr. becomes a regular contributor. Regardless, getting Abry back is a nice start to the offseason roster reshuffle.