Pittsburgh Steelers star OLB T.J. Watt had the opportunity to play against a backup right tackle this past Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and he very much made him look like a backup. He will get that opportunity for a second week in a row against the Cleveland Browns, only this time, that backup is also a rookie: fourth-round pick Dawand Jones.
The Browns lost starter Jack Conklin for the season due to injury in the opener, so it’s Jones’ job for the rest of the way, much in the same way that Marcus Gilbert took over at right tackle in 2011 after Willie Colon got hurt in the opener. One insider believes, however, that Watt will not have an easy day against the rookie.
Aditi Kinkhabwala was on 93.7 The Fan earlier this week with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. Asked if Watt was going to be able to work Jones over, she confidently denied it. “No”, she said repeatedly, with a laugh, noting that many following the team this offseason found it hard to believe they would actually sit him for a year—including her broadcast partner and Hall of Fame former Browns tackle, Joe Thomas.
“Joe Thomas said that Dawand Jones may go down as [general manager] Andrew Berry’s best draft pick ever”, she said. “This young man is so ready, is so good. You saw what he did when he stepped in when Jack Conklin was hurt. He wasn’t even expecting to play and look at how well he played”.
Of course, Watt is also very ready and very good, and he has made many very ready, very good offensive tackles look very unprepared and bad. After all, he was the Defensive Player of the Year and tied the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record the last season he was fully healthy. He was probably the best defender on any NFL field this past weekend as well.
I will concede that I did not pore over the Browns’ preseason tape, but according to Pro Football Focus, Jones was the seventh-highest graded offensive tackle of the preseason among qualified players, with the second-highest grade in pass protection within that group. He was charged with only three pressures in 148 snaps in pass protection, but his grading as a run blocker was slightly below average.
That’s also how the outlet graded him in his NFL debut on Sunday, though the Browns didn’t seem to have any trouble running the football. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, himself a former offensive lineman, also came away from his tape in the opener impressed, saying that he looked like a veteran.
One thing is for sure, which is that this will be a huge test for Jones. If he is the real deal, then perhaps he will hold his own against Watt. That is what they drafted him to be able to do. A lot of eyes are going to be on this particular matchup this week—perhaps it is one we will be seeing for many years to come.
