The Green Bay Packers should just eliminate the defensive end position from their roster. Everyone’s just an outside linebacker from now on!
Defensive end Datone Jones is the latest to make the switch, defensive coordinator Dom Capers confirmed this week.
“He’s going to swing in both ways,” Capers said. “He’ll work with (defensive line coach Mike Trgovac) on certain things and he’ll work with (linebackers coach Winston Moss) on other things. We’re trying to develop that. Probably last week was the first step. We thought the week before we probably wanted to give Datone a few more reps, try to round out the reps because he was a little low a week before.”
Jones played a season-high 30 snaps against the Lions, often at outside linebacker opposite Nick Perry. Like us, you probably didn’t notice, since Jones didn’t show up on the stat sheet at all.
The move seems more about getting Jones more reps than it does about anything else. He was buried behind Mike Daniels, Mike Pennel and Letroy Guion at defensive end.
And even though Jones has been productive as a pass rusher, he wasn’t getting many opportunities behind those three. He was really only playing in dime as an inside rusher.
It should not be considered coincidence that the Packers are trying to get Jones on the field more. His strength is rushing the passer and the Packers haven’t registered a single sack in three weeks.
Jones is joining Julius Peppers, Mike Neal and Nick Perry, all of whom were once defensive ends and now play outside backer.