The Seattle Seahawks used a third round pick in the 2017 NFL draft to snag former University of North Carolina defensive tackle Nazair Jones. Jones made an immediate impression on the team, picking off Aaron Rodgers in his first NFL game and taking it to the house. While the touchdown was nullified by an illegal block in the back, Jones’ interception stood – the first and only of his career to date.
He went on to play in 11 games for Seattle, racking up 19 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovered. It was a solid rookie season for the down lineman, and pointed to good things to come.
However, Jones has been almost non-existent this season. He has only been active for five of Seattle’s ten games, even with a clean bill of health. It appears he has fallen behind undrafted rookie Poona Ford and veteran free agent Shamar Stephen on the depth chart, which starts with the dynamic Jarran Reed.
Jones was active for the first time since Week 6 on Thursday against the Green Bay Packers, managing to see the field for nine defensive snaps and another five on the special teams. The messaging from his coach wasn’t too inspiring postgame.
“He did alright,” Carroll said of Jones. “He helped us out a little bit. Didn’t get a lot of playtime, but did alright.”
Jones was expected by many to start alongside Reed this season. The additions of Stephen and fellow veteran Tom Johnson were expected to add depth, and Ford was a lottery ticket who has proven his worth in his short time in Seattle.
Even with Johnson gone, Jones still has not found his way onto the field, with Carroll citing ‘matchups’ as the common reasoning.
While it’s hard to glean too much from Pro Football Focus’ player grades, particularly in small sample sizes, it is worth noting that Jones has a less than stellar 56.7 grade. While that is poor compared to Ford’s 75.5 and Reed’s 66.6, it does top the 55.9 that Stephen has posted this season.
Overall, it has been a trying season for Jones. He has six more games to try and impress the Seattle coaches, if he is able to get some time on the field.
