In a season that has defied expectations, we have to include Denver Broncos safety Brandon Jones in the who'da thunk it(?) sweepstakes. The Broncos signed Jones as a free agent this past spring to fill the vacated role of star safety Justin Simmons, who'd been released as a salary-cap casualty not long before.
Like Simmons, Jones is a former third-round draft pick, but when he arrived in Denver earlier this year, he had a grand total of 30 career starts under his belt. Jones was a depth guy and relief starter for much of his four-year tenure with the Miami Dolphins.
Meanwhile, the Broncos willingly watched 108 NFL starts walk out the door when Simmons was jettisoned. Considering Simmons' accolades and impact in the Denver community, Jones had some big shoes to fill.
And fill them he has — with gusto.
With a career-high 101 tackles (70 solo), Jones has achieved something no Broncos safety has since Hall-of-Famer Steve Atwater. Jones became the first Bronco at his position with at least 100 tackles and three interceptions in a season since 1995 when the legendary "Smilin' Assassin" prowled the back end of the defense.
Jones leads the Broncos in tackles, and on top of his trio of interceptions, his fingerprints are also on two other takeaways (a forced fumble and fumble recovery). Although he's got at least one forced fumble in each of his five NFL seasons, having five takeaways is unprecedented in his young career.
At 26, Jones is also five years younger than Simmons. The Broncos signed Jones to a three-year, $20 million deal, which keeps the physical playmaker around through the 2026 season.
Jones and P.J. Locke have developed into one of the NFL's most physical and formidable safety tandems. The Broncos have a lot to look forward to, but Sean Payton, Vance Joseph, and even GM George Paton would be lying to you if they were to say that they anticipated Jones not only leading the team in tackles but also having five takeaways and achieving something heretofore unseen since the golden age of Atwater.
Beyond what Jones has brought as a physical force and tackler, the man ranks second on the team in pass break-ups (10) behind only cornerback Patrick Surtain II (11). With an average-per-year cost below $7M, the Broncos went bargain-bin shopping and ended up outkicking their coverage with Jones.
It's hard to say that any Broncos darkhorse safety has made a bigger Year 1 impact than Jones, but when it comes to the 21st century, the closest would be Darian Stewart, who was signed on the cheap in 2015 and went on to be one of the five members of the vaunted "No Fly Zone" secondary that spearheaded the team's Super Bowl 50 championship and garner a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
Speaking of the Pro Bowl, have you cast your votes yet for Jones? Even if you have, go do it again because this Bronco deserves the recognition.
