Raiders waiting for Chandler Jones to make an impact

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 | 2 a.m.

There was much consternation after Las Vegas receiver Davante Adams caught just five passes for 36 yards in the Raiders’ 24-22 loss at Tennessee on Sunday. With the amount of draft picks it took to trade for Adams, plus the contract extension the Raiders gave him, the lack of production was startling.

Unfortunately for the 0-3 Raiders, he’s not the only marquee offseason acquisition who is coming up short.

Defensive end Chandler Jones signed with Las Vegas as a free agent, leaving Arizona for a 3-year contract with $34 million in guarantees. For that much coin, the Raiders were expecting the veteran pass rusher to create a dynamic duo with homegrown sack artist Maxx Crosby that would consistently terrorize opposing quarterbacks.

Crosby is holding up his end, as he’s got 2.0 sacks and nine pressures through three games. Jones, however, has been shut out, with zero sacks to his name. For a player who had recorded 107.5 sacks in 139 career contests entering this season, that’s concerning.

So what’s the issue? Are opponents scheming to neutralize Jones? Has he been facing exceptionally tough matchups along the offensive line? Or, at 32 years old, is he just slowing down?

Against Tennessee it was a combination of factors, starting with his playing time. Jones was on the field for 40 snaps on Sunday, checking in for a season-low 69.0% of the defensive plays after logging above 89% in each of the first two games. Some of that was probably strategic, as Josh McDaniels and looked to emphasize run defense against Titans’ power back Derrick Henry.

When Jones was to the field, Tennessee made sure to locate him. The Titans almost never left him in a 1-on-1 matchup, especially in obvious passing situations, as they opted instead to chip him with a secondary blocker or simply double-team him altogether.

The first time the Titans faced a 3^rd-and-long, Jones attacked the left tackle from a stand-up rushing position. Tennessee used a tight end to chip Jones before releasing into a pass pattern; the left tackle then picked up Jones after his momentum had been slowed, and was able to steer him away from the pocket:

Jones saw a similar blocking scheme just before halftime, when the Titans went hurry-up to try to get into field goal range. The tight end was able to chip effectively and Jones was not able to impact the pocket:

The Titans used a similar approach on this 3^rd-and-11 in the third quarter, chipping both Jones and Crosby on the edges. It worked to slow Jones, but Crosby managed to beat the second blocker and rush Ryan Tannehill into a bad pass, resulting in an interception:

It’s the same thing on this 3^rd-and-9 later in the third quarter, as Tennessee chips both edge rushers again. The technique is slightly different against Jones, as the back waits until he is fully engaged with the left tackle before delivering a blow and releasing into a pattern.

It’s also less effective, as Jones is able to power-drive the tackle back into the pocket. Still, there’s not enough pressure and Tannehill converts another long one:

Jones did see some 1-on-1 blocks, but they were few and far between and he did not capitalize.

On the Titans’ hurry-up drive before halftime, Jones got a shot against left tackle and tried to win to the outside, but he got pushed around the back of the pocket:

The same thing happened on this crucial 3^rd-and-8 in the fourth quarter, as Jones went wide against a single blocker and was unable to turn the corner. That left him of little consequence to Tannehill, who stepped up and converted the pass:

Jones’s only impactful rush came later on that drive, but it’s hard to get too excited about it considering it was a blown assignment by the tight end. The TE looks inside after the snap, allowing Jones to blow by him untouched and chase Tannehill out of the pocket, eventually forcing a throwaway:

The Raiders were certainly hoping for more when they signed Jones. If he still has the juice to win individual matchups against left tackles, he’s got to start showing it; the Titans showed him respect by paying him extra attention, but if opponents begin to think they’ll be fine devoting a single blocker to him, it’s going to start making Crosby’s life more difficult.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.