Justin Jones career trajectory with Chicago Bears
Justin Jones was the best interior defensive lineman on the Chicago Bears last season, and no one is going to deny that. The question is whether that had to do with how poor the others were, or if he was legitimately good, and the others were holding him back. As he enters his sixth NFL season, we have a decent size sample to look into the types of players who have started their careers in a similar light to Justin Jones.
Justin Jones career trajectory with Chicago Bears
Through five seasons some of the best names to have a similar start to their career include Dean Lowry, Kendall Langford, DJ Jones, Lawrence Guy, and DJ Reader.
Name | Games | Approxomite Value | Tackles | Sacks | Hits | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Jones | 68 | 24 | 170 | 7.5 | 20 | 24 |
DJ Jones | 61 | 24 | 126 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
Dean Lowry | 79 | 28 | 167 | 10 | 20 | 17 |
DJ Reader | 66 | 26 | 173 | 6.5 | 25 | 17 |
Lawrence Guy | 67 | 14 | 128 | 6.5 | 26 | 17 |
Kendall Langford | 80 | 32 | 168 | 9.5 | 22 | 19 |
There are definitely similarities in all of their statistical profiles as well as style of play.
Lawrence Guy found a home after his rookie contract with the Patriots. He signed in 2017 at age 27, and he has been there through last season when he was 32. He has not had earth-breaking numbers, but he has been a relied-on piece of a talented rotation.
Kendall Langford had one of his best seasons when he was 27, and his best stretch was from age 27 through 29. He retired at age 31, so his career was not as long as Guy, he did have a strong career as a starter for ten seasons.
Dean Lowry did have a career year in Green Bay at age 27, and he is now 29 years old after finishing his age 28 seasons in 2022. He is still with the Packers, and like these two, he appears to be on track to start until his 30s.
D.J. Jones and D.J. Reader are more traditional nose tackles than Justin Jones. They do not get the sack production, but they are probably both better against the run. They also both signed with new teams in their age 27 season, and both of them had solid years. Jones is entering his age 28 season next year, and Reader will be 29 next year. Justin Jones may be looking at them when thinking of his contract next year.
So, overall, the players who make it six years, and post that type of production usually go on to sign multiple contracts and have long-standing careers. The odds are that Justin Jones will compare more favorably to Lawrence Guy, Dean Lowry, and Kendall Langford, and those are strong comparisons to make when thinking of his game.
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Those players did not make All-Pros or Pro Bowls, but they were respected by the team that had them, and they started into their age 30 seasons. Seeing Justin Jones not peak, but post consistent play like 2022 more the next four years is not a bad thing, and the Chicago Bears want to keep him around after this year.