Who is the Tennessee Titans’ most underrated player during the 2019 season?
Pro Football Focus compiled a list naming the most underrated player for every NFL team, and one defensive player was the choice for the Tennessee Titans.
That player was none other than defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, who, according to PFF, has compiled an overall grade of 84.1, which ranks as the 10th-best in the NFL. There’s no question that Jones is in the midst of his best season as a pro.
Here’s what PFF’s Anthony Treash had to say about him.
"In his sixth season as a Tennessee Titan, interior defensive lineman DaQuan Jones is having a career year and currently ranks 10th in PFF grade at 84.1. Jones is a true nose tackle, and the data shows he’s one of the best in the business. When lined up at nose tackle, Jones is fourth in PFF grade and has produced 12 run stops (tied for the most at that position)."
Jones has been an asset against both the pass and run, but as Treash points out in his write-up, his greatest impact has come against the run. The Penn State product has done a great job clogging up the middle for Tennessee in 2019.
One of the biggest reasons Jones has succeeded more this season than in years past is because he’s been lining up at nose tackle more often. He’s clearly at his best when he’s in the middle of the Titans’ defensive line, and Treash even goes as far as to call him “one of the best in the business” in that area.
Jones is one-third of an impressive Titans defensive line that features both Jurrell Casey and Jeffery Simmons.
The problem with keeping this line together more often has been health, as Simmons has played in just four games since returning from an ACL injury, and Casey has dealt with a shoulder injury that has forced him to miss the last two games.
Through it all, Jones has been the constant for Tennessee and his great play hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Titans or their fans. If Tennessee can manage to keep their entire defensive line intact the rest of the way, it’ll be a force to be reckoned with on a weekly basis.