Don’t overlook the ‘other guy’ on the Titans’ defensive line

DaQuan Jones is kind of the “other guy” on the Tennessee Titans’ starting defensive line. Most folks have heard of Jurrell Casey, Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo. While Jones may be a little under the radar, last year he showed he can hold his own as well.

At 6’4, 322 pounds, Jones is big enough to play all over the defensive line, and he does. The Titans use him primarily as a five-technique, where he stands out playing the run because he is really hard to move. Once Jones gets his hands on an offensive lineman, he does a really good job of controlling them, pushing them back and shedding them to make the tackle.

Whether he is lined up as a five-technique or a defensive tackle, he finds a way to show up when a running back comes his way.

The Titans have some other guys they like to use as interior pass rushers, so Jones comes out on passing downs. He still showed some good pass rush ability of his own on early downs when the opportunity arose. He has a lot of wiggle for a man his size, and just as importantly, he does a good job of using his hands on his pass rush moves.

I’m not saying that he is going to be in on third downs this season -- not as long as the Titans still have Karl Klug on the roster -- but I will say I expect Jones to get some sacks this year on early downs as he continues to improve as a pass rusher. He only has one career sack, so he has nowhere to go but up. I’ve watched enough from him on film to know that five or more sacks in his third season is definitely not out of the question.

Playing five-technique in a 3-4 defense is a hard job. There is no one set kind of player that winds up there. Of course everybody wants the J.J. Watt type, a monster pass rusher as well as a beast against the run, but most teams have to be happy with a dude who can do at least one thing well.

Jones can definitely be a beast against the run, but he probably won’t ever be in the same pass rushing class as Watt, and that’s fine. As long as he can just polish up his pass rushing technique a little this season, not only will he have a breakout year, but a lot more people will know his name.