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Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jarrian Jones wants to 'break every chain' after impressive Year 1
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- Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jarrian Jones wants to 'break every chain' after impressive Year 1
While Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. garnered all the positive attention for the team's 2024 NFL Draft class, cornerback Jarrian Jones became one of the most intriguing players on the team by the season's end.
Drafted in the third round out of Florida State, Jones quickly became a fan favorite because of his infectious positivity and personality. That translated through training camp with many clamoring for him to play sooner rather than later.
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Though he had to wait a little longer than he'd hoped, Jones became one of the team's top defenders, operating in the slot and working as a reserve corner outside. For him, it resulted in a productive season.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) runs on the field before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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"I learned a lot for sure. The difference between me from Weeks one through four and then from [Week] five on, I think you can kind of see I was getting comfortable," Jones told the Times-Union ahead of the team's season finale against the Indianapolis Colts .
Jones played in all 17 games for Jacksonville, officially starting four while operating primarily out of the slot as the team's nickel defender.
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Through the final four games of the season, Jones averaged 84% of the team's defensive snaps per game. Jones averaged 58% of the defensive snaps throughout the season, logging 30 solo tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss and eight pass breakups.
Jones was forced to play more after slot corner/safety Darnell Savage went down due to an injury ahead of Week 2 and again when the team made the permanent change to move Savage to safety, opening an opportunity for the rookie.
Jones tied for second on the team in pass breakups with Montaric 'Buster' Brown, behind Ronald Darby (nine).
His arrival was welcomed by and impressed his teammates, including top corner Tyson Campbell .
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"I would say his IQ and just him being a fast learner. Whether it be learning the scheme or learning from any mistakes that he makes, just learning and improving each week," Campbell said when asked about Jones in December.
"I feel like that's definitely a skill of somebody, just being able to prove week-in and week-out, just making you a better player as the season goes. You could just tell he's getting a wonderful feel for the game as the season progressed, and he's becoming a heck of a player in this league. He isn't becoming, he will be."
Jones was named one of Jacksonville's "2025 breakout candidates" after his rookie season.
According to PFF, among 42 slot corners to play 100 or more coverage snaps, Jones ranked 11th in passer rating allowed (82.5), 13th in yards per snap (1.02) and ninth in yards per target (6.6). Jones also posted a run defense grade of 88.5 with 17 stops.
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Jarrian Jones has sights set beyond the 'sky,' wants to 'break every chain'
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) runs on the field before a Dec. 29 game against the Titans.
Jones' best game of the year came against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. He posted a pass breakup and a sack on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter down 6-3.
The Jaguars' offense got the ball back at their 19-yard line after a punt and punched the ball in for a go-ahead touchdown to go up 10-6. The Titans never scored again and Jacksonville went on to win the game.
It was in Week 14 when many started opening their eyes regarding the type of player Jones could be, but Jacksonville's coaching staff already had an idea.
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"We think that he's going to be, for many years, a very good pro. With him it's, hey, this play, the next play in that game, and just staying on course with that type of mindset and that growth and kind of one play at a time deal," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said in December.
With Jacksonville's season going the way it did, including two losing streaks of four or more games at a time, losing weighed on Jones. Jones came from a winning program at Florida State — the 2024 season notwithstanding. In 2023, the Seminoles went undefeated, going 13-0 before missing out on the College Football Playoff due to controversial reasons.
The challenge of getting used to a new normal, and understanding how and when to react to things, weighed on the rookie corner.
"You've been in the locker room, you probably can tell I'm kind of loud," Jones said with a laugh. "I let everybody know how I'm feeling. But, I think over time, I just had to start to realize, like, everything is just not gonna move my way... it's okay. I can, but I can't control, us winning or losing. I could just go out there, (and) do my job. I have to be okay with the results."
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Jones said that at first, he got "extremely upset" about the Jaguars losing, affecting him for as long as days after the result. Eventually, he says, he figured it out.
"It got to the point, it was just like, just stay the course. Keep doing what you're gonna do, because it's gonna turn around. And when it turns around, I'm not going back," said Jones.
Though no one knows what the Jaguars will do with Jones now that the team is expected to usher in a new defensive coaching staff, the rookie's confidence is as high as it can be.
"Coming into the league, I always felt like I could be one of the best to do it. Then, after playing the games, seeing the product of what I put out there and all that, I don't think it's changed at all," Jones said.
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"I just think that I don't think there's nobody that will be able to do anything with me. I'm [going to] attack this offseason and make [my Year 2] one of the best ever. I think just playing and getting the confidence from it, now I just think the sky's the limit," Jones said before pondering and retracing his steps a bit.
"To be honest, I don't even think the sky's the limit. It was never the limit. I'm trying to break every chain there is."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Jarrian Jones could be 2025 breakout player
