Countdown to Kickoff: Profile on Tennessee Titans No. 60 Ben Jones
The Countdown to Kickoff series continues on with a look at Tennessee Titans free agent center addition Ben Jones.
There are exactly 60 days until the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers open up the 2016 NFL regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. In the meantime, we at NFL Spin Zone are going to profile a player each day as we countdown the days to kickoff.
The Countdown to Kickoff series began with a look at No. 99 Joey Bosa and has continued on everyday since (check out all of the posts here).
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There were plenty of interesting offensive linemen to choose who wear the number 60. Max Unger, David Andrews, A.J. Cann and rookie Connor McGovern would have all been great choices, but I decided to go with a powerful center on a new team.
Let’s take a look at Tennessee Titans free agent center addition Ben Jones.
The Titans signed Jones to a four-year, $17.5 million contract this off season after he spent the first four years of his career with the division rival Houston Texans. Jones is a tough and physical offensive lineman who shows a mean and nasty streak on the field.
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Plugging Jones in as the Titans’ center will undoubtedly help them as they move to a power-based run focused offensive system. Jones is the favorite to be the Titans’ starting center for 2016, but he will have a battle on his hands with Brian Schwenke who has been in and out of the Titans’ lineup as the starting center for the past few years.
Andy Gallick, who started eight games at center as a rookie last season after Schwenke went down with an ankle injury, will also likely figure into the mix as well.
Schwenke and Gallick will have an opportunity to win the job, but the Titans would not have brought Jones in if they didn’t see a need to improve. Barring injury, Jones is extremely likely to be the Titans’ starting center in 2016 and beyond.
His powerful run blocking style makes him an absolutely perfect fit for what the Titans are trying to do.
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After trading for power back DeMarco Murray, drafting dominant run blocking offensive tackle Jack Conklin in the first round and drafting another big and powerful back in Derrick Henry in the second round, it is obvious the Titans are going to focus on the power running game going forward.
As a powerful run blocker, Jones is the perfect guy to anchor the middle of the Titans’ offensive line. An offensive line of Taylor Lewan, Jeremiah Poutasi, Jones, Chance Warmack and Conklin from left to right is a strong run blocking group who should be able to physically man-handle opposing defenses.
With talented backs like Murray and Henry running the ball, and quarterback Marcus Mariota making plays in a variety of ways, the Titans’ offense could become extremely productive.
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As the anchor in the middle of a powerful offensive line, Jones is going to be a crucial part of the Titans’ powerful offensive attack.