Who’s the most important piece on defense? To some, it might be big No. 92
The Buffalo Bills run a style of defense up front that requires its defensive linemen to remain sound in their gap integrity. It also often requires one man, a defensive tackle, to try and plug two gaps at once. While that particular position, known as the “one-tech” defensive tackle, might not be glamorous, it’s often essential to the success of the defense.
If Buffalo has one man who can eat up twice as much space as everyone else, that means that the other players up front are free to go about their responsibilities much more simply. If the one-tech defensive tackle is successful, then the defensive line is generally successful. So, while the one-tech might not rack up sexy statistics, his very presence allows for his teammates to pad their own stat lines.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we profile the linchpin to the defensive line.
DaQuan Jones
- Number: 92
- Position: DT
- Height/Weight: 6’4”, 320 pounds
- Age: 32 (33 on 12/27/2024)
- Experience/Draft: 11; selected in the fourth round (No. 112 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans
- College: Penn State
- Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 3/16/2022
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Jones signed another two-year contract with Buffalo this spring, extending his stay with the Bills. This deal is worth $16 million overall, of which $10.5 million is guaranteed. For the 2024 season, Jones carries a cap hit of $4.5 million. The Bills would be responsible for a dead-cap figure of $10.5 million if he were to be released or traded.
2023 Recap: Through the first four games of the season, Jones was en fuego, notching three tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks. Then, in that fateful London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones tore a pectoral muscle on his fifth defensive snap. That was a huge loss for the Bills, as Jones didn’t play in another game until New Year’s Eve. In-between, players like Poona Ford and Linval Joseph, the latter of whom signed with Buffalo midway through the season, tried to replicate Jones’ success without much luck.
Jones played over half of Buffalo’s snaps in the final four games of the season, which includes their two playoff games. He combined to make nine tackles, one of which went for a loss, in those final four games.
Positional outlook: Jones, Eli Ankou, and Austin Johnson are the three defensive tackles whose specialty is the one-tech. Ed Oliver, DeShawn Williams, DeWayne Carter, Branson Deen, and Gable Steveson are the other defensive tackles in camp.
2024 Offseason: Jones is dealing with a groin injury that has hampered him for some of the more recent training camp practices. Up to that point, though, he’d been participating and playing with the first-team defense.
2024 Season outlook: A healthy DaQuan Jones means a successful Buffalo defense. At least, that’s been the theme since his arrival at the start of the 2022 season. The Bills are much better off when their big space-eater is active, and if they can keep Jones on the line, he can keep blockers off his teammates, allowing them to succeed. Buffalo is more prepared to absorb his loss this year than they were last season, as Austin Johnson is essentially a Jones clone. However, the ideal scenario is still that DaQuan is healthy and available for all 20 games this season.
There isn’t much question as to whether he’ll be on the roster. The real question at DT is how many players the Bills will keep. The top four (Jones, Oliver, Johnson, and Carter) are all essentially locked into rooster spots and roles. Can DeShawn Williams or Eli Ankou make enough of a case to push for a roster spot? My gut says no, but if Jones’ groin injury lingers, it could open a spot for one of those two players to make the club out of the preseason.