3 Seattle Seahawks next in line to be Pro Bowlers

No. 3 - Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones

I have been critical of Jones over the last couple of months because I do not think he performed up to the expectation that general manager John Schneider had when Schneider signed Jones to the most expensive free agent contract he had ever signed a player to. Jones' season might not have been all his fault, however. Maybe he was just ill-used in a poor defensive scheme.

Jones did not get used much anywhere other than B gap assignments through the first eight games. He had 20 total pressures in those games. In the final eight games of the season, Seattle moved Jones more outside the tackles. Between Weeks 10 and 17, Jones had multiple pressures per game. His raw numbers such as sacks did not improve, but he was clearly more active.

Mike Macdonald will know how to best use Jones. One key is to vary how much Jones lines up at one spot. The Seahawks either had Jones between the tackles for a long stream of games or outside the tackles for a long stretch, but rarely did Jones move around much during a game. In comparison, Justin Madubuike played theoretically Jones' same defensive position but under Macdonald with the Ravens, Madubuike was moved around more which kept offenses guessing where he would be.

I am not saying Jones is as good a player as Madubuike, though he could be in a different defensive scheme. I would expect Jones' production to go up a great deal next year under the leadership of Macdonald. In 2024, Jones might earn the contract that Schneider gave him last offseason.

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