“Well, we’ve had some experience with him in Tennessee. We got to see him most recently in Buffalo. I think he’s a veteran interior player that I think still has some good snaps ahead of him,” Mike Vrabel said to the media regarding his newly signed nose tackle, DaQuan Jones.
Even though Jones just signed with New England following the team’s Week 1 loss, he has familiarity with Vrabel, as both were on the Titans from 2018 to 2020.
This familiarity with Vrabel comes into play when the team is devising its defensive game plan for Week 2, when the Patriots welcome the 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers to Foxborough. Jones can take on double teams and eat up space in the running game, which is especially needed with two running backs of Jaylen Warren’s and Rico Dowdle’s caliber.
Given Jones and Vrabel’s prior experience, Jones is in the unique position where he already speaks the head coach’s language. Unlike other September free agent signings who may need three to four weeks to adjust, Jones won’t need much of a ramp-up time.
Foe to Friend
It’s interesting to note, as well, that Jones has spent the last four seasons anchoring the division-rival Bills’ front four. This makes Jones a very valuable scouting resource as New England prepares for its Week 4 and Week 13 matchups.
The Patriots will have their hands full those weeks with one of the league’s best running backs, James Cook, so any slight edge they have on his tendencies and play style that may not show up on film will be a tremendous boost.
Good Snaps Ahead
New England did not pay Jones to be an every-down defensive lineman. They paid him to be a rotational veteran presence who can play alongside both their established veterans, Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, and the players trying to make a name for themselves, such as Cory Durden and Joshua Farmer III, and eat up space for the second level on the early downs.
At this point in the season, a player of Jones’s caliber on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million is too valuable to pass up for New England.
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