Abry Jones made the leap in 2016, deserves more playing time

With the departure of Roy Miller, the Jacksonville Jaguars are handing over a key role on the defensive line to Abry Jones after his breakout year in 2016.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made several moves in free agency to upgrade the defense, adding big names like Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye to start at key positions. Amidst the big contracts however lied a more subtle transaction – re-signing young defensive tackle Abry Jones.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia, Jones clawed his way onto the roster and was primarily a rotational backup along the defensive line in his first couple of years. With Roy Miller playing well, there was little room for Jones in the lineup. It wasn’t until 2016 that Jones got an opportunity to play significant time and he took advantage of it. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones was one of the most improved interior defenders in the entire league in 2016:

"2. Abry Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars2015 season grade: 56.62016 season grade: 81.5What a breakout season for Abry Jones, huh? There’s no doubt he earned his four-year contract because of his much-improved play in 2016. Prior to this past season, Jones failed to rank higher than 82nd at his position until finishing as our 21st-ranked interior defender this year. He saw an uptick in pass-rush effectiveness, but, like Jenkins, the main reason for his better play was due to his prowess in the run game. In 2015, Jones made a run stop on only 5.1 percent of run snaps and finished the season with 10 run stops. 2016 was a different story, as he totaled 22 run stops, finishing with a run-stop percentage of 8.7 that ranked 20th among 75 qualified interior defenders."

Along with the presence of Calais Campbell, the insertion of Jones into a more pronounced role on the defense should give the Jaguars some versatility up front. Jones is an effective run defender but he provides more juice as a pass rusher compared to Roy Miller. He’ll still primarily be a two-down lineman, but he was an effective player next to Malik Jackson last year.

Jones is the kind of player you love to have on the roster – someone who worked his way up from the dregs of the depth chart and earned a starting role on what should be a very talented defense. He deserves the increase in playing time (and the new contract) he’s going to receive.