4 upcoming free agents 49ers should re-sign at all costs
By Peter Panacy
49ers free-agent priority No. 2: Nose tackle D.J. Jones
Nose tackle D.J. Jones settled for a one-year bargain-basement $3.5 million deal in 2021, but it’s safe to say he’ll be looking for a substantial pay increase with the 2022 salary cap increase.
A substantial member of the 49ers’ defensive line rotation, Jones’ importance became even more apparent in the wake of the Niners losing second-year pro defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a season-ending knee injury earlier in the year.
Jones found himself going from a base-down run-stopper to being an inherently necessary piece of the D-line, and he ended up seeing 550 defensive snaps on the year, only fewer than Nick Bosa, defensive tackle Arik Armstead and EDGE Samson Ebukam.
During those snaps, Jones finished with a career-best 56 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss, going along with two sacks, all leading to a career-best 73.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus on the season.
Over the Cap valued Jones’ 2021 efforts as being worth $5.38 million, and San Francisco would be more than wise to dish out that kind of money to keep the 27-year-old Jones around for the foreseeable future.