The New Orleans Saints made a surprising addition to their linebacker room on Friday afternoon, signing Deion Jones. The top of their linebacker room is set with Kaden Elliss, Pete Werner and Danny Stutsman. Even with Chris Rumph's injury, this signing feels a bit unexpected.
Jones has played nearly his entire career in the NFC South, suiting up for all 4 teams along the way. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the last two seasons and the Carolina Panthers the year prior. He took a bit of a pitstop playing for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 after six years with the Atlanta Falcons.
Jones was one of the best young linebackers in the league with the Falcons. He was highly productive in terms of tackles, and he was a great coverage backer. Jones led the league in interception yards and pick sixes as a rookie linebacker, either of which makes the achievement more special
Deion Jones hype is more about name over production
A large amount of the hype around Deion Jones comes from Jones' time in Atlanta. It's a perfect example of the name holding more weight than the production.
Jones is certainly interesting, but he's interesting for two reasons. 1. He has a name. 2. The Saints didn't necessarily need linebacker help
If you look at Jones' track record since leaving Atlanta, this isn't a signing to jump up and down about. He hasn't had over 50 tackles since the 2021 season. Jones has primarily been a reserve player over the years.
If Jones wasn't a known commodity, this signing probably wouldn't have been met with any intrigue. But he is, however, and his background as a starter does alter the optics of the signing.
The other side of this is the Saints didn't seem to need more linebackers. We've already looked at the top three in the room, and Isaiah Stalbird fills in that fourth spot. Rumph did get hurt, as we mentioned earlier, but it felt like Jackson Sirmon could just receive more snaps as a result.
Bringing in a player with the name of Deion Jones will certainly make you double take, but everything other than his name suggests this is just a depth move.
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