Green Bay Packers: Josh Jones showing elite potential in big way

When the Green Bay Packers defense has needed someone to step up through four weeks, rookie Josh Jones has been the guy to do so.

The Green Bay Packers defense features a few big-time names. Although that’s true, there’s definitely room for a few more alpha dogs. Players that can take over a game, and truly lead the defense. In Week 3, Josh Jones gave reason to believe he could be that type of player — and that he can be there soon.

The Packers drafted Jones in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft using the 61st overall pick. Due to that, it’s no surprise that he’s been given a pretty big role early on in the season.

Throughout the first two games though, Jones didn’t have much going for him in the stat column. He had accumulated five tackles, one being for a loss. Meanwhile, his play on the field was as expected from a rookie. He had some great plays, and some obvious mistakes. Week 3 saw the first start of Jones career. With it came his first takeover, and there could be a lot more in the future.

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With the Packers down early to the Cincinnati Bengals, there needed to be those unusual players making plays. Basically, this means someone that wasn’t typically known to make the big play had to step up.

Jones responded with 12 tackles (one for a loss) and two sacks. He looked not only fast and strong, but smart. The mix of athleticism and mental dominance that he possess is what attracted the Packers to the 23-year old in the first place.

Now that he’s had some time to get used to the speed of the NFL, it appears he’s starting to let the game come to him. When that happens, Jones is an extremely dangerous weapon. But then came time to build upon his Week 3 performance.

Though he was forced to leave the Packers’ Week 4 matchup with the Bears for a stint due to injury, Jones again proved his moxie by returning to the game. The rookie totaled only three total tackles, though he did add a tackle for a loss. More impressive, though, was the leadership he showed.

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Over the course of the game, the Packers defense became depleted due to a number of injuries. Not only did Jones fight through his ailment to come back in, but he helped keep the unit solid and in-check when he did. That’s a great sign of a leader.

After only two starts, it’s clear that Jones is already paying dividends for the Packers defense. If he continues to step up in this manner, he could well become a stalwart for this unit moving forward.