Nashville’s B-Side: When the Deep Cuts Become Chart Toppers
In the grand tradition of Nashville’s greatest hits, the Tennessee Titans are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice. You know the story. Take something that worked beautifully the first time, change a few key ingredients, and pray to the football gods that magic happens again.
This time, they’re banking on Dre’Mont Jones. A 28-year-old defensive lineman whose 6 season career plays like a really good musician who never quite broke through to mainstream success. Talented, consistent, occasionally brilliant, but always leaving you wondering if there’s another level hiding somewhere. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what people said about Denico Autry before he morphed from mid-level defensive player into Nashville’s premier quarterback tormentor, collecting sacks like they were rare vinyl records at a garage sale.
The Tennessee Titans apparently have a very specific type when it comes to defensive linemen: talented, underutilized, and carrying just enough baggage to keep them motivated. When they signed Dre’Mont Jones to a one-year, $10 million prove-it deal this offseason, the similarities to their previous project with Denico Autry were striking. Both arrived in Nashville as versatile defenders looking for a fresh start. Both possessed the ability to wreak havoc from multiple positions. And both entered their Titans tenure at the exact age where careers either take off or quietly wind down.
In 2025, the Titans are hoping for another bold reclamation success. The ingredients are there, but translating potential into production remains the million-dollar question.
The Highway vs The Scenic Route: Both Led to Nashville
Comparing their first six NFL seasons reveals vastly different paths to similar destinations.
Jones entered the NFL as the 71st overall pick in 2019. Basically, the defensive line equivalent of a highly-touted prospect with immediate expectations and developmental support. Third-round draft picks come with playing time opportunities and the kind of organizational investment that makes success more likely than not. Jones delivered from day one, posting 3.5 sacks in limited snaps as a rookie and earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. His trajectory looked remarkably smooth: predictable, reliable, with just enough challenges to keep things interesting.
Autry, meanwhile, was the classic underdog story. Undrafted in 2014, he spent his first NFL season bouncing between Oakland’s practice squad and the active roster. His rookie stat line reads like a typo: 10 games, zero sacks, thirteen tackles. If Jones was the honor roll student who got into his first-choice college, Autry was the kid who barely graduated but somehow ended up becoming wildly successful anyway.
The Statistical Showdown: When Numbers Tell The Story
Through their first six NFL seasons, Jones accumulated 31 sacks and 226 quarterback pressures compared to Autry’s 25 sacks and 159 pressures. Jones was generating pressure with the efficiency of a German-engineered sports car, while Autry was more like a classic American muscle car that took forever to warm up, but once it got going, look out.
Dre’Mont Jones (2019-2024): The Steady Producer
- 31 sacks and 226 pressures in 90 games
- 40+ pressures each of the past 4 years
- Never recorded fewer than three sacks in any season
- Peak: 6.5 sacks in 2022 before hip injury (13 games played)
- Two AFC Defensive Player of the Week awards
Denico Autry (2014-2019): The Patient Developer
- 25 sacks and 159 pressures in 82 games
- Never exceeded 35 pressures in his first 6 years
- Peak: 9.0 sacks in 2018 (nearly 40% of six-year total)
- Went from 0 sacks as a rookie to a double-digit pressure generator
Jones accumulated 6 more sacks and 67 more pressures than Autry through six seasons while maintaining remarkable consistency. His production curve looks like a gentle upward slope, while Autry’s resembled more of a roller coaster with one significant peak. Jones never experienced the valleys Autry endured, but he also never reached Autry’s singular breakthrough moment.
Peak Performance: When Experience Meets Athletic Ability
At 28, Jones sits in an optimal window for many defensive linemen. Unlike skill position players who often rely exclusively on speed and agility, pass rushers can benefit from accumulated knowledge and refined technique. Autry proved this concept by posting his best seasons after age 30, when most players are supposedly declining.
Jones has six seasons of NFL coaching under his belt while still possessing the physical tools that made him a third-round pick. This combination of accumulated knowledge and natural ability creates the foundation for a potential breakout season.
Nashville Magic: The Secret Sauce (Spoiler: It’s Not Hot Chicken)
Tennessee’s track record with Autry looks impressive on paper. Autry posted 28.5 sacks from ages 31-33, numbers that would make any defensive coordinator reach for their calculator twice just to be sure.
Dre’Mont Jones enters what appears to be an ideal situation. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson brings an aggressive philosophy that should complement Jones’ skill set. The scheme emphasizes multiple fronts and positional flexibility, making it ideally suited for someone who has played everything from nose tackle to stand-up edge rusher throughout their career.
Contract Year Energy: When Your Bank Account Depends on QB Harassment
Jones’ one-year contract creates natural incentives for peak performance. The deal structure suggests mutual interest in a longer relationship if things work out, while providing both sides with an exit strategy if they don’t.
The financial stakes are clear: perform well and earn a substantial long-term deal, or risk settling for another prove-it contract elsewhere. This type of motivation has historically produced strong seasons from players in Jones’ situation, though it can also create pressure that hinders performance.
So… Will This Work? (The $10 Million Question Mark)
Can Dre’Mont Jones become the next Denico Autry for Tennessee? The honest assessment is that conditions are favorable, but success isn’t guaranteed. Jones brings superior early-career production and the right skill set, while Tennessee provides coaching with an ideal scheme. However, expecting automatic transformation would ignore the countless variables that influence NFL success.
Realistic projections suggest Jones could post 6-7 sacks if things go reasonably well. Solid production that validates his signing without breaking any records. The optimistic scenario involves perfect health and scheme fit, leading to 8-10 sacks and career-high numbers across multiple categories.
Tennessee hasn’t guaranteed itself another Autry success story. But it has assembled the right pieces and created favorable conditions. In a league where predicting outcomes is notoriously difficult, that represents smart roster building even if the results don’t match the highest hopes.
The Titans have given themselves a legitimate chance to strike gold twice with their approach to developing their defensive line. Whether Jones becomes the next chapter in their late-bloomer success stories or simply a solid player having a solid season remains to be written. Sometimes that’s the best you can hope for. A fair chance to succeed with all the right support in place.
Comments (0)