Moe Moton
As the Las Vegas Raiders move up the standings with three consecutive wins, Chandler Jones has played up to his contract. And no, his praise isn’t due just because he sacked Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert three times in a 27-20 victory last Sunday. He started to turn the corner two weeks ago.
Over the previous two games, Jones has recorded more pressures than he did in the first 11 weeks (10 games) of the season.
Of course, Raiders coaches and players will pump up Jones’ intangibles, the 11th-year pro’s leadership skills and presence, but Vegas signed him to a three-year, $51 million contract to make a significant three-down impact at a premium position.
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Chandler Jones’ stats vs. contract value
Through November, Jones has downplayed his low sack number; he only had a half-sack before last Sunday’s game. After the Raiders’ win over the Chargers, the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro didn’t see his three-sack performance as a weight lifted off his shoulders.
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“There was no sigh of relief. Honestly, I feel like earlier in my career stats were a huge thing, but where I am now, it’s about winning. If I had zero sacks on the season and we went deep in the playoffs, that would be huge for me.”
Las Vegas Raiders’ Chandler Jones on recording three sacks
Safety Duron Harmon echoed Jones’ sentiment.
“Everybody gives him a hard time about the sack production, but each and every day he brings energy,” Harmon said after the game. “He brings leadership and he has been affecting the game, just hasn’t been able to quite get there. I am just so happy for him and proud of him.”
Raiders fans probably remember defensive end Justin Tuck, whom the team signed in 2014. He brought leadership, professionalism, energy and helped young teammates along such as Khalil Mack and Sio Moore. Though Tuck only recorded six sacks and 22 pressures in two seasons with the Silver and Black, per Pro Football Focus, the team signed him to a relatively modest two-year, $10 million contract, which is an appropriate salary for what he brought to the defense.
- Chandler Jones stats (2022): 38 pressures, 11 QB hits, 3.5 sacks
As for Jones, who’s banking $17 million annually, which ranks 11th among edge-rushers in average annual value, with $32 million in guarantees, he has to leave a bigger imprint on games, and the 32-year-old has done that over the past two weeks.
Chandler Jones feeding off interior pressure
Why has Jones been able to break through the pocket and wreak havoc on quarterbacks Geno Smith and Russell Wilson?
Well, Jones isn’t a lone wolf in his recent production spike. He’s not the same dominant All-Pro player from his years with the Arizona Cardinals. At this stage in his career, he can still close games as an edge-rusher and chase down a ball carrier to make a stop on fourth down (as he did last Sunday), but the savvy veteran has benefitted from help on the inside.
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On November 14, Vegas claimed defensive tackle Jerry Tillery after the Chargers waived him. Against his former team, he logged two quarterback hits. When Raider Nation Radio’s Qiant Myers asked about Tillery, head coach Josh McDaniels praised the 26-year-old for his immediate contributions, which summed up how edge-rushers can work in tandem with interior defenders on the front line.
“[He’s] certainly disruptive, and he’s one of those guys where he might not get you to the ground, but he might a reason why someone else gets you to the ground.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels on Jerry Tillery
In each of the Raiders’ last three contents, Bilal Nichols, who signed a two-year, $11 million deal ($7.1 million guaranteed), has recorded at least one quarterback hit or a tackle for loss.
With a stronger push up the middle, which often flushes a quarterback outside, Jones can clean up more plays with a sack or force an errant throw.
Raiders ignored a glaring need at defensive tackle
This past offseason, the Raiders chose not to add an established veteran interior defensive tackle other than Nichols, who just turned 26 years old in September. Instead, they decided to roll with a combination of Andrew Billings, Kendal Vickers, Kyle Peko rookie fourth-rounder Neil Farrell Jr., rookie fifth-rounder Matthew Butler and Johnathan Hankins, whom the team sent to the Dallas Cowboys before the trade deadline.
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The team has listed Farrell and Butler as healthy inactive players multiple times this season. Vickers and Billings have been banged up with injuries. Tillery and Nichols have provided a much-needed push up the middle, which has helped Jones make plays on the edge.
When an offensive line group has to pay a little more attention to interior defenders on passing downs, the edge rushers have a better chance at getting to the quarterback. Though Jones isn’t in his prime, he’s good enough to capitalize on the benefits of lining up alongside an interior pass-rushing threat.
Raiders will likely address defensive line in 2023
Jones didn’t just go from a washed-up defensive end to a playmaker in a couple of months. His recent breakout underlines the need for the Raiders to add an impact interior defender via free agency or the draft next offseason.
Vegas will only have Nichols, Farrell and Butler under contract at defensive tackle beyond the 2023 season, so expect general manager Dave Ziegler to add multiple players to beef up the interior of the defensive line. With some solid additions at the position, the team can get more out of Jones and even Maxx Crosby next year.
Tillery can certainly play his way into an extension with the Raiders, but the front office should invest in a more proven player or use an early-round draft pick to address a glaring roster need. Ziegler has to do more than midseason patchwork to address one of the weaker areas on a bottom-tier defense.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
