Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Broncos’ one-point loss to the Seahawks on Monday night had its fair share of good and bad.
The Denver Broncos opened their 2022 season with a heart-breaking 17-16 loss in primetime against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday. Here’s a quick look at five studs and duds from the game.
“He’s all in,” Broncos GM George Paton said of QB Russell Wilson. “He’s a very good recruiter, I’ve learned.”
The Denver Broncos finally have a franchise quarterback again, and he’s helping them attract other key players.
Wilson’s presence attracts free agents the same way Peyton Manning did — Denver’s free agent signings during the Manning era included DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward — but Wilson is also serving as an active recruiter.
“Russell Wilson was probably — if not the top reason, one of the top reasons why I was able to get out here,” edge defender Randy Gregory said at his introductory press conference on Friday. “Just his ability to reach out and stay relentless …. It’s big for me because my biggest thing is feeling wanted and having that support …. he hit me up a lot.”
New Broncos defensive lineman DJ Jones also said Wilson played a big part in his decision to sign with Denver.
“Russell is very — he texts a lot with me, and I’ll texted him and said, ‘Maybe give Randy a call.’ He’s very helpful there,” general manager George Paton said Friday. “He’s all in. He’s a very good recruiter, I’ve learned.
“We’re still trying to get to know each other, but I know he recruited Randy, DJ and some of the other guys. He’s willing to do that which is very helpful.”
Paton appreciates the impact Wilson can have on the team’s ability to improve the roster.
“It’s beneficial when I can text a franchise quarterback and that night, he calls a guy eight times,” the GM said. “That’s pretty special, especially when it’s someone like Russell Wilson …. It’s pretty cool.”
The Broncos might not be quite done with free agency moves just yet, so the Wilson recruiting will presumably continue in the coming days.
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DJ Jones turned down a bigger offer from another team to join the Broncos, according to NFL Network.
Story update: DJ Jones was asked about NFL Network’s report during his introductory press conference on Thursday. This was his response: “I wouldn’t say there was more money on the table — and go all the way into the money and everything. I’ll let you all write the stories. But Russell Wilson was a big part of the reason I came here.” See our original post below.
The Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a three-year, $30 million contract with defensive lineman DJ Jones earlier this week. That’s an average of $10 million per season — not a small price — but Jones apparently could have earned more from another team.
Peter Schrager of Fox Sports said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” show on Tuesday that Jones “was offered more elsewhere” but still chose to sign with Denver. Schrager tweeted about it on Tuesday, calling it the “Russell Wilson Effect.”
As Schrager noted, the Broncos had a similar draw for free agents when Peyton Manning was their quarterback and the team landed free agents including DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders, Wes Welker and T.J. Ward.
Now that Denver has Wilson, the team is an attractive destination for free agents again, so much so that Jones picked the Broncos over higher pay.
This is a development that fans in Denver will love to see, and it’s something that could be a trend for as long as Wilson is a Bronco.
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The #49ers are losing DJ Jones to the Broncos.
The 49ers weren’t very active on the first day of the free agency legal negotiating window, but they did see two of their unrestricted free agents land deals with other clubs. Left guard Laken Tomlinson earned a three-year deal with the Jets early Monday, and later in the day reports surfaced of defensive lineman DJ Jones getting a three-year deal to join the Broncos.
Jones’ three-year pact is worth up to $30 million, a $10 million average annual value that went well above what the 49ers were going to be able to afford.
It’s not a surprise to see Jones exit on a sizable contract after four very productive years with San Francisco where he got better in each year. In 2021 he posted a career-high 24 pressures and tallied 2.0 sacks. Jones regularly made plays that didn’t show in the box score though by knifing through offensive lines to blow up runs while spearheading one of the NFL’s top run defenses last year.
With Jones exiting, the door opens for players like Kevin Givens and Javon Kinlaw to take over as the starting nose tackle.
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#49ers DT DJ Jones is questionable to return vs. the Titans.
The 49ers may have to finish their game Thursday vs. the Titans without starting nose tackle DJ Jones.
Jones in the middle of the second quarter was announced as ‘questionable’ to return with an ankle injury. Kentavius Street took his spot in the middle of the defensive line. Jones hadn’t posted a stat Thursday night before his exit.
This season he has 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks.
WATCH: DJ Jones makes awesome open-field tackle to keep #49ers two-score lead at end of 1st half.
Go DJ 🎶 @djjones_44#LARvsSF on ESPN/49ers app pic.twitter.com/hcGgjicC2m
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 16, 2021
The Rams got greedy at the end of the first half. On a fourth-and-8 with 18 seconds left in the second quarter they lined up for 35-yard field goal, but faked it. Punter Johnny Hekker threw to Kendall Blanton who was cut down in the open field by 49ers defensive tackle DJ Jones.
That was an incredible play by Jones, first to read it and second to make the tackle in the open field. That’s not a comfortable spot for a defensive tackle and he played it like a natural.
DJ Jones will be back in San Francisco with the 49ers after exploring free agency.
The San Francisco 49ers are retaining an important piece of their defensive front. Unrestricted free agent defensive tackle DJ Jones will return to the club on a one-year deal according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Jones is a key cog in what should be a stout 49ers defensive line. The 2017 sixth-round pick has improved over each of his four years in the league and carved out a role as a full time starter in 2019. He’s started all 25 games he’s played the last two years with 5.0 sacks.
Replacing Jones wouldn’t have been easy for the 49ers since he’s shown some explosiveness as a pass rusher. They would’ve had to likely use a fairly early draft pick if they were planning on replacing his snaps externally.
Ultimately though San Francisco was able to bring him back to the Bay Area where he figures to slot in as the starting nose tackle on a defensive line that’ll need to be very good again for the team to make a postseason run.
The 49ers activated rookie WR Brandon Aiyuk and starting DL DJ Jones from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday activated wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, interior defensive lineman D.J. Jones, and edge rusher Jordan Willis from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday told reporters Aiyuk, Jones and Willis were all likely to come off the list Wednesday barring any setbacks as they went through the protocol.
Aiyuk has had an impressive rookie campaign for the 49ers, catching 35 passes for 446 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 61 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 5 rushing attempts.
Jones is the team’s starting nose tackle. He’s posted 2.0 sacks and 6 tackles-for-loss this season. Willis was acquired in a trade with the Jets. He has 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss and two quarterback hits in three games for San Francisco.
Tight end Daniel Helm is now the only 49ers player on the COVID-19 list. He’s officially listed on the Practice Squad/COVID-19 list, so the team won’t have to clear a roster spot once he’s off.
This puts the 49ers in line to be almost fully healthy on offense for their Week 13 game against the Bills, and it’ll give them a full complement of defensive lineman after relying heavily on practice squad additions in Week 12 vs. the Rams.
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Ross Dwelley and DJ Jones both missed Saturday’s practice with injuries.
The 49ers were without two of their five tight ends in Saturday’s practice. Ross Dwelley, last year’s No. 2 TE, missed the session with a foot injury. DJ Jones was also out, but he did receive good news about the shoulder injury that forced him to leave Friday’s practice early.
Dwelley was a key player for the 49ers last year because of his versatility as a blocker. When fullback Kyle Juszczyk went down, Dwelley took on fullback duties. He also slotted into the starting TE role for two games when George Kittle was out.
The 49ers are already pretty thin at tight end after releasing Daniel Helm and with Jordan Reed still doing individual work before entering full practices. Losing Dwelley for an extended period would be a tough blow for San Francisco’s offense.
He’s not much of a factor as a pass catcher, but he’s valuable as a blocker. He’s also the most experienced player at the position behind Kittle. Sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner and undrafted rookie Chase Harrell are their only other options with Dwelley and Reed out of practice.
Jones’ MRI on his shoulder came back clean, which is good news for the 49ers’ starting nose tackle. He was driven to the ground on a goal line play late in Friday’s practice and left with a shoulder injury. While his shoulder is healthy, he was put into concussion protocol and will have to clear that before returning to practice.
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The 49ers have a slew of players on their roster that need to make big jumps in 2020 if they’re going to make another Super Bowl run.
The 49ers returned largely the same roster from last season. Simply moving laterally won’t be enough if they want to make another jaunt back to the Super Bowl though.
With so many players coming back, another deep postseason run will require a handful of players to take significant steps forward from where they were a year ago.
Here are five players who will have to thrive in expanded roles if the 49ers are going to repeat last year’s success:
Bourne was remarkably consistent over the last two seasons, and fell into a productive role as a third receiver last year. Since 2018, Bourne has 72 receptions for 845 yards. Of his 72 catches, 53 have gone for either a first down or a touchdown. A go-to target to convert first downs and touchdowns is valuable, but the 49ers may need more from Bourne in 2020. With question marks all over the roster at that position and a truncated offseason, Bourne’s familiarity with the offense and his rapport with Garoppolo put him in line for his most productive year as a pro.
