The 49ers need a defensive tackle and D.J. might become available in a few days. Could the 49ers bring him back?
Jones played with the 49ers from 2017 to 2021, then signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Broncos in 2022. Now there's no guaranteed money left on his deal, his salary cap number is nearly $13 million and cutting him would save the Broncos almost $10 million in cap space.
Seems like Denver probably will cut Jones.
Which would be great news for the 49ers, because they need Jones. Their run defense was subpar last season. They spent big money on Javon Hargrave, who's a good pass rusher, but not a good run defender. They also have Arik Armstead, who's excellent against the run when he's healthy, which is roughly half the season.
Behind those two, the 49ers have Kalia Davis and that's it. Everyone else is a free agent.
The 49ers need to sign a backup defensive tackle who can start when Armstead inevitably misses time. That player should be Jones. He fits the 49ers' Wide 9 defensive front, he has played in it before and he's one hell of a run stopper. He would be a big upgrade over the backup defensive tackles the 49ers had last season -- Kevin Givens, Javon Kinlaw and Sebastian Joseph-Day.
The 49ers also could decide to draft a defensive tackle, because a rookie would be cheaper than Jones. But a rookie also would be a gamble, where Jones is a sure thing.
I say bring back the veteran.
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