The mystery with Miami Dolphins emerging young safety Brandon Jones
There might not be a more conscientious, studious young player on the Dolphins than second-year safety Brandon Jones, who wrote reports — something akin to term papers — on every NFL team’s defense before the 2020 draft.
There might not be a better blitzer among Dolphins’ defensive backs.
There might not be a faster safety on the Dolphins’ roster.
The question is whether Jones’ coverage skills can catch up to other promising parts of his game.
When they drafted Jones 70th overall in 2020, the Dolphins knew he had poor pass coverage metrics at Texas, but they overlooked that because of his other appealing assets.
As a rookie, he had 62 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble but allowed a 108.6 passer rating in his coverage area, permitting 23 completions in 28 targets for 202 yards and a touchdown.
So far this season, he has allowed all five passes against him to be caught for 76 yards, equal to a 118.8 rating, per Pro Football Focus.
In his final season of Texas, he was targeted 46 times and allowed 34 completions for 330 yards and six touchdowns when he lined up in the slot. That’s a 133.2 passer rating against.
If his coverage skills caught up to other parts of his game, the Dolphins would have a really good starter. But that’s a big if.
He’s a sturdy tackler. As a blitzer, he’s very good.
Of the two sacks Sunday against Las Vegas, he said: “It’s all scheme based. I wouldn’t necessarily give myself all the credit for that. The d-line did a great job of the stunt games and all of the stuff we did inside to free me up. My mind-set is to play fast, trust my keys and continue with the process and go from there.
“Obviously those were good plays, but the bad plays and the plays I should’ve made, especially at the end of the game, is the stuff that sticks to me more than necessarily the good plays.”
That play at the end of the game was a 34-yard completion from Derek Carr to Bryan Edwards, a completion that moved the Raiders to the Dolphins’ 46 yard line and was a key development in Las Vegas’ game-winning drive in overtime.
Jones seemed to have tight coverage on the play.
“I feel like I was in position, so I could’ve made the play,” he said. “That’s kind of my mind-set of it. I’m not really too big on excuses.
“I think I get so stuck on learning new stuff and this and that... the stuff that I should know, especially playing strong safety, I kind of let that stuff fall off the plate in tough situations. You saw it showed up with that catch to Edwards.”
There’s no question about his preparation.
He said he meets with position coach Gerald Alexander “every morning before practice to get an idea of the game plan and overall knowing the defensive scheme. With those meetings, I’m not only able to get to know my position but I get to know a lot of other positions. That’s what’s helped me slow the game down and be able to play fast.”
Among 80 safeties who have qualified for Pro Football Focus’ rankings this season, Jones is ranked 69th. But he’s ranked 10th as a pass rusher and 46th against the run. His rating is so low (69th) because he’s rated fourth worst in coverage.
Dolphins teammate Eric Rowe is ranked sixth overall among the 80 safeties, Jason McCourty 19th and Jevon Holland 55th. The Dolphins have been splitting time among four safeties this season — a different approach from past seasons.
Incidentally, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the former Dolphins first-round pick, is rated 80th and last.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 7:11 PM.
