5 Cleveland Browns auditioning for a job elsewhere in 2023
By Randy Gurzi
3. Deion Jones, Linebacker
When the Browns lost to the Los Angeles Chargers, they apparently had enough of watching their defense get gashed on the ground. They sent a late-round pick that weekend to the Atlanta Falcons — another team that had just run the ball at will against them — in exchange for Deion Jones.
The former second-round pick out of LSU isn’t known for his run defense but the Browns just needed someone that wasn’t going to be a liability at the position. So far, there has been an improvement overall and Jones is having his share of individual success.
In two games, he has 10 tackles and two of them have gone for a loss. He was also able to bury Joe Burrow on a third-and-15 during their Monday night win, forcing one of many punts from Cincinnati.
Joe Woods sends in the blitz and takes down Joe Burrow. Welcome to Cleveland, Deion Jones.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 1, 2022
Even with all that being said, Jones was never expected to be a long-term answer. He was brought in to help them get through 2022 with Anthony Walker, Jr. out — and Cleveland even worked it out to where his contract was voided after this season, allowing Jones to test free agency.
Jones will now get a total of 11 games with the Browns to prove he can still play at a high level. That’s good for Cleveland since he will be highly motivated but he’s not likely to be back in 2023.