Imagine being as unfamiliar with Mackensie Alexander, Terence Newman or Captain Munnerlyn as you are with the current third corner on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart.
Mike Zimmer has always relied on high draft picks or well-paid free agents to fill that important role in his nickel defense. Now he’s counting on an undrafted free agent who was out of work as of late October and has yet to be made available to the media.
If you lined up the Vikings’ defensive backs with their helmets off, the average fan — heck, even a reporter — might not be able to pick out Chris Jones. Yet he’s played over 20 snaps on defense each of the last six games as a boundary corner.
Unfortunately for Jones, he’s gotten his most exposure for the wrong reasons. Against the Dallas Cowboys, his hesitance to tackle Tony Pollard gave the Cowboys an easy touchdown and earned him a seat in Zimmer’s doghouse.
Against the Carolina Panthers, he carried his assignment 40 yards downfield before realizing that pass-catcher Robby Anderson was streaking to the end zone.
And against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a breakdown at safety left him all alone with Scotty Miller on a deep post.
OK, it hasn’t been perfect. But the half dozen games of work have been critical to a banged-up Vikings DB corps. Mike Hughes and Kris Boyd are currently hurt, while Holton Hill and Mark Fields were injured and subsequently waived. With rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler getting most of the work and rookie fifth-round pick Harrison Hand there as a last resort, having a third-year player in Jones has been reassuring, even if he’s not the same as a wily Terence Newman.
The Vikings signed Jones just after their bye week in advance of their Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. He was two days removed from getting waived by the Detroit Lions.
“He went to Nebraska, but we didn’t really know much,” Zimmer said of Jones.
The former Cornhusker had spent two seasons in and out of the Arizona Cardinals organization, making three starts with them in 2019. He was with Detroit for about five weeks before the Vikings claimed him, and it’s possible Minnesota was simply looking for a little advanced scouting on the Lions before they faced them in Week 9. But because of injuries to Fields and Dantzler against Green Bay, Jones was asked to play 58 snaps against his former team, having spent less than two weeks in the Vikings’ system.
“That’s not always the easiest thing to do, but that’s how things are in this crazy 2020 season,” said co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer. “You’re going to have to adjust on the fly and sometimes guys are going to have to play fast.”
Jones has had some low points, but he’s also made up for it with some strong overall play. In Minnesota’s wins over Carolina and Jacksonville, Jones allowed just 16 receiving yards combined. To get any amount of production, frankly, from a midseason pick-up without much of a track record is a bonus. Jones has exceeded expectations for a former UDFA.
But he wasn’t a slouch coming out of college. Some projections had Jones being selected in the middle rounds of the 2018 draft before a knee injury slowed him in his senior year. He was likely on GM Rick Spielman’s radar since his son, J.D., played with Jones at Nebraska in 2017-18.
“I like his size,” Mike Zimmer said. “He doesn’t get rattled when things aren’t going his way or balls are completed on him. He’s pretty composed with really everything. He’s been a quick learner as far as understanding the system and scheme, things like that. Yeah, he’s been a pleasant surprise.”
Jones’ run isn’t done. As injuries continue to plague the secondary, the Vikings will keep leaning on Jones as their CB3. Jones is an exclusive rights free agent after the season, as well, which gives the Vikings a free pass to retain him on a one-year deal if they choose.
You may want to get familiar. Considering how quick a study he was in 2020, Jones may be back as a useful depth piece next year.
