Deion Jones is preparing to enter his fifth season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 and Jeff Ulbrich, the team's assistant head coach and linebackers coach, believes the best is yet to come from Jones. While speaking about his potential, Ulbrich showered Jones with praise.
“Deion is a guy that I see has the potential to be the best middle linebacker in the NFL,” [Falcons assistant coach Jeff] Ulbrich said this week, via the team's official website. “I really do.”
In his first four seasons in the NFL, Jones has anchored the middle of Atlanta's defense. Ulbrich, who played linebacker in the league for 10 seasons himself, believes Jones' blend of athleticism and speed make him a perfect linebacker for today's game.
“In this game that we play today, it's all about matchups and athleticism, space and a lot of grass,” Ulbrich, who also coaches linebackers, said. “He's custom made for that because he's got so much speed and athleticism.”
Since being drafted by the Falcons in 2016, it's been hard-pressed to discover any weaknesses in Jones' game on the field. Still, Ulbrich believes there is room for improvement for the LSU product moving forward.
“At the same time, there are parts of his game that he'd acknowledge that he can take to the next level,” Ulbrich said. “I'm not going to say that he has huge glaring weaknesses, because I don't think that's the case, but I think that there is another place he can go in areas of his game that aren't his strengths.”
Despite missing 10 games due to injury in 2018, Jones has still managed to record 409 tackles, 32 deflections, and nine interceptions in his four-year career. There's a reason why the Falcons gave Jones a four-year extension worth $57 million last offseason.
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