In a span of not even 24 hours, the San Francisco 49ers lost two prominent members of the trenches.
First, Laken Tomlinson was announced to be the future recipient of $40 million by the New York Jets, where he will soon pummel defensive tackles and ends for former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. But later on the evening of Monday, March 14, D.J. Jones ended up joining Tomlinson in the other conference.
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The interior defender Jones, long considered one of the top defensive tackles on the 2022 free agent market, became the “big addition” as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network called it by agreeing to terms on a three-year, $30 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
Source: The #Broncos agreed to terms with DT DJ Jones on a 3-year, $30M deal with $20M fully guaranteed. Big addition.
Jones was long anticipated to be an offseason departure for the 49ers even after a strong 2021 season — with his now former general manager John Lynch even telling reporters during the NFL Scouting Combine that Jones made himself “harder to keep” for the 49ers given the production and value he delivered.
But does Jones leave on bitter terms with the franchise he gave his all to for the team he played his entire career for before the signing?
Jones Posts Reaction to S.F. Departure
Jones didn’t just play his first five seasons in the league with the 49ers, but he was one of the original draft picks made by Lynch in 2017, his first NFL Draft in his general manager position.
Jones, however, showed no animosity toward his first NFL employer and shared this reaction via Instagram:
“I would like to thank the @49ers organization from top to bottom for an amazing 5 years. You gave me an opportunity and for that alone you will forever have a place in my heart. To the faithful, thank you for your love and support throughout the years, I will forever love the Bay.”
Jones was part of a class that now has just one member left from Lynch’s first draft: Tight end George Kittle. The All-Pro tight end himself posted a comment on Jones’ final message to the 49ers’ faithful.
#49ers DT DJ Jones says his farewell as he heads to Denver ❤️💛
Jones leaves the 49ers posting the following stats via Pro Football Reference: 61 games played, 46 starts, 126 combined tackles, 92 solo stops, 23 tackles for a loss (includes the season-high of 10 from this past season) and seven sacks.
Where do 49ers go Next?
Better yet, could one of the newly added compensatory picks come in handy to find a potential replacement for “King David?”
The NFL announced a new total of 39 compensatory picks to 16 clubs including the 49ers. These future selections will be taken between rounds three to seven in April’s NFL Draft.
How it works for the 49ers: They now receive two third round selections at No. 102 and 105, then back-to-back sixth round selections at No. 220 and 221 and the fifth compensatory pick is a seventh rounder (262nd pick). A complete breakdown of the 49ers’ draft order is below.
So,I count 10 total 49ers picks in the 2022 draft, with the recently awarded comp picks asterisked* below:
Round 2, 61
Round 3, 93
Round 3, 102*
Round 3, 105*
Round 4, 133
Round 5, 172
Round 6, 186
Round 6, 220*
Round 6, 221*
Round 7, 262*
Even with the new picks that ups the 49ers’ draft selections to 10 total, S.F. still maintains the No. 61 overall pick of the second round. And on Monday, March 14, not one person has the ‘Niners taking a defensive tackle at their first draft spot. It’s a concoction of cornerback, offensive lineman and safety selections from national reporters. And the one defensive tackle the 49ers are projected to take? Otito Ogbonnia out of UCLA — one of the predicted compensatory picks.
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Prized 49ers Free Agent D.J. Jones Reacts to his Departure