Defensive tackle Justin Jones put up better numbers in his second Bears season but with plenty of cap space they could bring in a more elite option.
Out of all the Bears free agents, this may be the hardest decision.
Though many at Pro Football Focus would argue differently, a number of variables may play a role in the decision to bring defensive tackle Justin Jones back. Jones was 107th out of 130 interior line defenders this season, the lowest ranking of any Bears defensive tackle, including rookies Gervon Dexter (101st) and Zacch Pickens (83rd), according to PFF, which ranked all Bears defensive linemen in 2022 around the bottom of the league.
Jones is a key member of the three technique defensive line. He must be in the gap, attacking upfield, as he plays the weakside of the field between the guard and tackle. To maintain gap integrity and prevent ball carriers from taking advantage of a break in the line, it must be executed in tandem with the rest of the front.
Jones has obviously improved in his two seasons playing this position for a four-man base front with a focus on the single gap, at least when coach Matt Eberflus wasn’t assigning him to chase tight ends in pass coverage.
Even though PFF’s assessment doesn’t state that, the numbers do.
After recording three sacks in 2022, he had a career-high four and a half in 2023. Jones recorded a career-best 22 pressures, 12 more than his previous high and 13 more than the previous season, and 17 quarterback hits after just seven the previous season. Throughout his career, he had only ever knocked down quarterbacks three times, but he did it twelve times.
Although Jones’ season total of tackles for loss was down from 12 to 10, it was still quite close. The defense’s other offensive players in 2023 prevented Jones from taking as many opportunities, more than making up for the difference.
In 2023, the remaining defensive players recorded 62 tackles for loss, compared to 55 last year. Having T.J. Edwards and, in particular, nose tackle Andrew Billings, is beneficial.
Jones played a major role in the Bears defense, which gave up 17 points or less in five of their previous six games and 20 when they were ahead of 17.
At the end of the season, Eberflus listed Jones among the guys he felt were essential to the defense’s improvement to 12th in the league.
“There’s some dynamic players in that free agency class that Ryan (Poles) did an awesome job with,” Eberflus stated. “You mention players like Maine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Justin Jones, D-Walk (DeMarcus Walker), and the transactions with DJ Moore and Montez Sweat; those are dynamic players. Although it took some time to be able to do so, we’re really pleased about the prospect of getting those men together in the future.”
Despite all of this, Jones’ return would appear to depend more on the Bears locating a better free agent replacement than Jones, one who can play at a higher level and wouldn’t require as much time to integrate into the scheme.
Completing this task in the draft is an extremely challenging task. Three strategies that perform instantly at the professional level in the manner that the Bears demand do not appear out of thin air.
Jer’Zhan Newton, who plays at University of Illinois a few hours down Route 57, is the best player of this type in this draft. This makes sense because the Bears currently employ the same game plan as they did under Lovie Smith’s leadership. Smith was the Bears’ head coach at the time.
The Bears have the money, with $34 million in effective cap space and perhaps close to $48 million with potential cap space-clearing moves to follow, so it would be feasible to accomplish it in free agency this year.
Top defensive tackles may also be available in free agency. Among them are Chris Jones of Kansas City, Justin Madubuike of Baltimore, Christian Wilkins of Miami, and Leonard Williams of Seattle; however, a few others may be tagged.
Jones was not in charge because he is still getting used to the role. They would need to assess Madubuike’s conversion rate to a single-gap front since he played end in a 3-4 system and comes from a different type of scheme. Jones, who turns 30 next season, is the finest defensive lineman available in free agency and possibly the entire league.
They also need to consider the possibility of Pickens and Dexter developing. To expect Dexter to step up and grab that starting slot in Year 2 is a stretch. After recording three quarterback hits in the first eight games, he finished with nine in the last eight, accounting for all five of his 2 1/2 sacks. But throughout the season, Dexter failed to record a single tackle for loss. Pickens only produced half a sack and one TFL.
The children are not yet able to be relied upon. To guarantee inside pressure that is at least as high as it was in the latter part of the previous season, if not higher, they will need a veteran to fill that position once more.
Jones will have to make a difficult decision, and whether or not he returns may depend entirely on the availability of those elite defensive tackles in free agency.