The Jets recently claimed linebacker Cam Jones off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. Today we break Jones down in detail.
The 25-year old Jones is listed at 6’2″ and 227 pounds and was an undrafted free agent out of Indiana in 2023. Jones played all 32 regular season games over the past two seasons, starting two and racking up 36 tackles and a quarterback hit. His main role was on special teams though and he’s played a similar role with the Jets so far this season.
Background
Jones was a three-star high school recruit who headed to Indiana in 2018 and contributed well as a freshman with 20 tackles, two forced fumbles and in interception in 11 games.
His role increased in 2019 although he remained as a backup. He had 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups and a pick-six.
Jones made his first start in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and was named as an all-Big 10 honorable mention as he had 35 tackles, three sacks and a career-best three pass breakups in just eight games.
In 2021, he was productive again with a career-high 64 tackles and two sacks in 11 games. However, his 2022 season ended prematurely due to injury. Despite this, he was so productive that he named as an honorable mention again. In just five games, he had 55 tackles and two sacks.
Jones was invited to the scouting combine but ended up going undrafted. Despite this, he made the Chiefs’ opening day roster as an undrafted free agent and remained on the team for the next two seasons, mostly in a special teams role.
As a rookie, he had only played three defensive snaps entering the last week, but started the last game as the Chiefs were resting their starters for the postseason. He racked up 12 tackles in that game.
Last year, the same thing happened as he had played seven snaps leading up to the season finale but then started and had a full-time role in the last game, in which he again had 12 tackles. The Chiefs lost this one 38-0, though.
Having been released in final cuts, Jones was claimed by the Jets and has played a role on special teams for them so far this year.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Jones brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Jones shows good athletic ability in his game film but only ran a 4.71 at the scouting combine. However, he got this down to 4.61 at his pro day. He has below average size and length.
The rest of his workout numbers were disappointing as he had a 33-inch vertical, below average agility numbers and 17 bench press reps.
Usage
Jones is an off-ball linebacker, which obviously requires him to match up in the slot from time to time.
At Indiana, he started off in the husky role, which is a hybrid safety position used in nickel packages. He then moved to the stinger position (weakside linebacker) in 2019.
Run defense
Jones has been a productive run defender with the ability to cover ground going sideline to sideline and shoot gaps to make plays.
He typically plays with good discipline but there are occasions where he will get stuck on a block.
Coverage skills
A lot of Jones’ assignments in coverage simply involved him dropping into the middle of the field and reacting to limit the damage on passes underneath, although he will drop deeper or latch onto a man coverage assignment at times.
He’s generally given up completions on a high percentage of his targets (76 percent in college, 85 percent in preseason action and over 90 percent in regular season action), although he hasn’t been responsible for many big plays. He got beaten for six touchdowns in coverage in his college career.
Jones doesn’t have much on-ball production with no passes defensed in NFL regular season or preseason action and only nine in five years in college. He intercepted two passes but the last of these was in 2019, albeit that it was a pick-six.
Tackling
Jones has good closing speed and is a hard-hitter but his tackle efficiency has typically been solid. He averaged six missed tackles per season in college, but did have 14 in 2023. He missed five tackles in his two NFL starts though.
In college, Jones showed a bit of a knack for forcing fumbles with five in five years.
Blitzing
Jones had eight sacks in his college career but he didn’t blitz very often and, when he did, his pressure percentages were underwhelming. A lot of his production instead came from when he was spying the quarterback and stepped up to make the tackle behind the line or apply pressure on a throw.
Special teams
Jones has already shown with the Jets than he can contribute as a blocker and in coverage on special teams. He has good experience on every unit apart from the placekicking unit.
While he only had four special teams tackles at Indiana, he’s had a bigger role at the NFL level with 12 special teams stops in two years with Kansas City and three in his first two games as a Jet.
He has contributed as a blocker already with the Jets, although he had two penalties for holding and an illegal block in the back with the Chiefs.
Physicality
Jones isn’t very particularly big and can struggle to fight off blocks but he can hit and shows some aggression when attacking the line of scrimmage.
He has no defensive penalties at the NFL level and had just four in his career at Indiana.
Instincts/Intelligence
Jones has good versatility and the ability to recognize play design so he can blow up plays.
One of his key attributes is his patience. He is more likely to allow plays to develop rather than overpursue or get himself sealed off.
Jones has been fooled by play-action and misdirection from time to time, though.
Attitude
Jones was a captain for three years at Indiana and is known for being a vocal and willing leader with an exceptional work ethic.
In 2021, Jones received Indiana’s Howard Brown “Dedication to IU Football” Award.
As noted, his on-field discipline, both in terms of penalties and his assignment discipline have been excellent.
Injuries
Jones’ only injury at the NFL level was a chest injury during the 2024 postseason which saw him placed on injured reserve. He hasn’t missed a regular season game.
His college career was disrupted by a foot injury that forced him to have season-ending surgery just five games into his final season. However, he only missed one other game.
Scheme Fit
Jones is currently listed as the backup to Marcelino McCrary-Ball, which suggests that if he was to get any defensive reps, he’d be the third linebacker in base packages. However, he has played a few different roles over the course of his career. Of course, his primary role is going to be on special teams.
Jones and McCrary-Ball were actually teammates at Indiana. He has also been a teammate of current Jets Esa Pole and Byron Cowart with the Chiefs, although strictly speaking he only overlapped with Cowart by five days and wouldn’t have practiced with him.
Conclusions
The Jets desperately needed some players with experience to add to their linebacker unit because after final cuts, the only linebackers on the roster apart from Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams were a rookie, a player who had never played any defensive snaps in a regular season game and a player with only three defensive snaps of experience.
Jones has at least had those two starts, but these were both meaningless games and one of them was a blowout loss. Other than those, he’s only played 10 snaps himself. In the event of a long-term injury, the Jets would probably still be more likely to turn to Mykal Walker, who was subsequently added to the practice squad, unless McCrary-Ball or Kiko Mauigoa really improves in the meantime. Naturally, this is an immediate concern following Quincy Williams’ shoulder injury on Sunday.
At 25, he’s still young enough to develop, but for now, Jones’ focus and priority should be on special teams. He’s already been active within that role, so hopefully that continues.
