Linebacker Vi Jones represents the fifth linebacker the Bucs will lean on for a heavy dose of snaps this season. Initially of the 2024 season, the starters had been Lavonte David and Ok.J. Britt with backup SirVocea Dennis occupying a nickel ‘backer function. Dennis was misplaced for the season to harm in Week 4 and Britt left the Bucs’ Week 13 recreation in opposition to the Panthers with an harm of his personal. He’s prone to miss no less than another recreation. J.J. Russell completed a lot of the Panthers recreation but additionally missed Week 14 because of harm.
Consequently, in comes Jones to play final week in opposition to the Raiders. He performed 40 snaps. I took a take a look at all of them to get a way of who he’s as a participant, what he would possibly carry to the desk and whether or not he can present a spark for a place group that has struggled for many of this yr.
By The Numbers
Bucs ILB Vi Jones – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Professional Soccer Reference credited Vi Jones with 5 mixed tackles final week. Professional Soccer Focus famous he didn’t miss a deal with both. He was not credited with a defensive cease from the grading website, outlined as deal with that ends in a “failure” for the offense, and his common depth of deal with on run performs was 6.0 yards past the road of scrimmage. And NFL Professional credit Jones with being the closest defender on one goal leading to a catch for 25 yards.
The catch allowed was on a third-and-4 within the fourth quarter the place the Bucs had been working a six-man strain and Jones was dropping from a mugged place within the A niche. With three gamers working crossing patterns in the course of the sector, Jones acquired circled by the 2 shallows and misplaced tight finish Brock Bowlers on the deep cross.
It’s potential he ought to have adopted Bowers, a troublesome task in any circumstance, not to mention the place Jones was in. However additionally it is potential that Jamel Dean shouldn’t have adopted tight finish Michael Myers’ shallow route and dropped to select up Bowers. We are going to probably by no means know if Dean had a comply with tag on that play or not.
Vi Jones On Tape – Bucs vs. Raiders
The most important factor I need to convey when watching Vi Jones is that he’s a a lot better athlete than both J.J. Russell or Ok.J. Britt. It exhibits as he strikes in area. He isn’t an elite athlete. However he’s a big improve over the opposite two. Check out his measurements popping out of school in 2022.
Vi Jones is a LB prospect within the 2022 draft class. He scored a 8.87 RAS out of a potential 10.00. This ranked 274 out of 2419 LB from 1987 to 2022. #RAS pic.twitter.com/ivfF6qRo3Y
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) Might 2, 2022
Now I’ll say, after watching Jones I wouldn’t have guessed his testing would have been this good. However he’s 100% an enchancment in that he can flip his hips and alter course mid-drop. This could assist head coach Todd Bowles really feel extra snug with center of the sector hook zones and with Jones because the pole runner in Cowl 2.
Protection
It’s a small pattern dimension, however I typically thought Vi Jones did a good job diagnosing route ideas and reacting appropriately to what he was processing in protection. Las Vegas ran a superb little bit of mesh in entrance of him with a number of receivers crossing one another. Jones was cautious to not chunk on the primary receiver and confirmed strong recognition expertise to correctly react to the idea total, particularly because it associated to his teammates’ actions. He additionally had refined actions at his landmarks that helped him shut area with the closest defender. That is one thing Britt Ok.J. has lacked all through the season, staying glued to his drop zone moderately than discovering an eligible to dissuade opposing quarterbacks from throwing to.
Moreover, I used to be pleasantly shocked to see how shortly he would attempt to get his head circled after seeing a receiver look again for the ball. When the Raiders acquired down into the low purple zone Jones was in a position to adapt to play motion, talk what he was seeing to his teammates mid play and assist include rollouts with out leaving receivers open.
Now, he’s not an amazing anticipator, diagnosing performs pre-snap to get to spots early. He’s undoubtedly extra of a “read-and-react” linebacker who wants a whole lot of communication to be at his finest. And working mate Lavonte David supplied him with that after which some on this recreation.
Jones shouldn’t be somebody you need overlaying elite athletes. The Raiders had been in a position to isolate Jones on the surface one-on-one in opposition to first-round choose Brock Bowers ultimately zone and that went … effectively, such as you assume it might. Jones acquired flustered and Bowers drew a defensive go interference name. Bowers additionally left Jones within the mud on a sail route the place he had outdoors leverage and Jones couldn’t transition laterally out of his vertical drop fast sufficient to maintain up. However there are only a few linebackers within the NFL who can sustain with Bowers in these conditions.
Generally, I do assume Jones will be an enchancment in protection over Britt, who’s PFF’s 84th graded protection linebacker out of 86 qualifying gamers, in addition to Russell, who sports activities a 52.7 grade that might rank tied for 63rd if he met the qualifying threshold.
Run Protection
Bucs ILB Vi Jones – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Vi Jones’ penchant for studying and reacting to the play follows go well with within the run recreation. He’s extra deliberate in his motions as if he’s hedging in opposition to getting sucked up into the preliminary course of the play and he doesn’t need to get caught out of place. That is partly why his common depth of deal with was so excessive within the recreation. He’s attending to the ball service late. And his lighter body permits offensive linemen to create actual motion once they get fingers on him. On this recreation Jones didn’t present a downhill mentality to satisfy ball carriers within the gap.
As a tackler, Jones comes off as extra of a drag to the bottom sort of man moderately than a hitter. He’s listed on the Bucs’ group web site on the similar 225 kilos he was popping out of N.C. State in 2022. That’s an outsized security even in right now’s NFL. I doubt he’s going to generate the sort of pressure essential to be a difference-maker in run protection with out an instinctual skill to get to spots earlier than blockers can. And he didn’t present that skill on this recreation.
Hopes needs to be tempered with a third-year undrafted free agent who is just getting on the sector for the primary time 13 weeks into this season. However in a restricted pattern dimension he confirmed some issues different Bucs linebackers have struggled to this yr. And proper now, that may transfer the needle a bit for this protection.
Gamers can have solid-to-good video games. And Jones’ efficiency in opposition to the Raiders was far more strong than good. Final yr J.J. Russell had a superb recreation in opposition to Carolina in Week 13. Ok.J. Britt had a ok run on the finish of 2023 for the Bucs to really feel glad with him because the starter reverse Lavonte David to start this yr. One recreation doesn’t a full analysis make.
“When Vi got here in, he performed effectively,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles stated this week.
By way of projectable expertise, Jones regarded the a part of a linebacker from an athletic standpoint, and he was typically the place he was presupposed to be. And that’s not a nasty begin heading into Los Angeles to face the Chargers in Week 15.
