Cincinnati Bengals Adam Jones is more disciplined

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The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed cornerback Adam Jones this offseason on a three-year deal, and Jones has proven to be an integral part of this defense and a standout at the corner position for the Bengals. Last season, Jones was sensational in coverage by allowing just 11.4 yards per reception and a meager 53.6% completion percentage. That ability to lockdown opposing receivers has helped Jones restore his value, but there is another reason why the Bengals felt much more comfortable with investing in the 29-year-old.

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According to Dan Pompei of the National Football Post, the Bengals believe he has finally “turned the maturity corner”. From Pompei’s Sunday Blitz column, ” what has changed in the last year or so, according to Bengals coaches, is he has become a more disciplined player. He has bought into Mike Zimmer’s defensive system.”

It certainly seems like Jones has bought into Mike Zimmer’s system, and his terrific 2012 campaign flew a little bit under the radar. Maybe that’s because Jones didn’t have any picks, which is to be expected from a player who is shutting down receivers to the tune of a completion percentage under 55%.

With the addition of a safety in the draft like Jonathan Cyprien or Kenny Vaccaro to greatly boost the coverage at the back end, the Bengals secondary will be well on its way to being a good unit following the re-signings of Jones and veteran Terence Newman (to a contract that was cheaper than what Newman received from the Oakland Raiders).

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.