Four-year outside linebacker/defensive end Datone Jones has signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings, per Adam Schefter.
Vikings signed former Packers DE Datone Jones.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2017
Datone Jones Signs With Minnesota Vikings
Jones had spent all four years of his career as a Green Bay Packer, after being selected 26th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. Out of UCLA and playing under former NFL head coach Jim Mora, in his last season with the Bruins, Jones registered 62 total tackles, 19 of them being for loss, and 5.5 sacks. For his college career, Jones totaled 36.5 sacks and 148 total tackles.
Unfortunately for Jones and the Packers, his production at UCLA didn’t carry over to the Packers. In his first three seasons as a Packer he spent it as a defensive end. In those three seasons, Jones registered a total of eight sacks and 37 total tackles.
This past season, Jones added another position to his resume by splitting time at both outside linebacker and his usual defensive end position for Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers in his 3-4 defensive alignment. As part of the Packers outside linebacker rotation, he registered one sack with 17 total tackles. Although the numbers weren’t overly impressive, he did become an integral part of the Packers defense.
At this point in his career, Jones has a lot to prove to live up to his first round draft status. Still, he is a big man blessed with athletic ability and has stayed fairly healthy throughout his career, missing just five regular season games. The fact that Jones has added outside linebacker to his repertoire, it makes him even more valuable on the defensive side of the ball. Having somebody 6’4” tall and weighing 285 lbs. that can line up with his hand in the ground as a defensive end or as a standing outside linebacker is a major benefit for a defensive coordinator. It will just be up to Jones to make sure he produces, at whichever position he plays.
