San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who could extend their contracts in 2020

No. 2: DT D.J. Jones

One of the negative aspects of trading away DeForest Buckner is losing the production he provided in the interior of the defensive line. The Niners are unlikely to find a single player who can produce anywhere near Buckner’s level, so they’ll likely turn to an interior-rusher-by-committee approach.

Enter former sixth-round draft pick, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who should be one of the players the 49ers look at in order to start to replicate those missing sacks, tackles and pressures from the interior.

Before finishing the season on IR due to a high-ankle sprain, Jones was quietly enjoying a nice season. Pro Football Focus credited him with nine pressures on 147 pass-rush snaps, along with 17 tackles and a forced fumble.

And despite being a big guy (6-foot-0, 321 pounds), he’s really quite quick as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and the middle of his offensive line are well aware.

His injury last season seems to be an anomaly, so he should be ready to go in 2020. The 49ers should get ahead of his pending unrestricted free agency next offseason and make him a part of the team for the next several seasons.