The Raiders will give former first-round pick Datone Jones an avenue back to the NFL. The veteran defensive lineman agreed to terms to join the Raiders in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Although Jones has played in just one game over the past two seasons, he has seen several teams express interest. The Raiders were among them. They worked out Jones last October.
The 30-year-old defender spent some time with new Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, playing in five Cowboys games from 2017-18. Jones, however, has not enjoyed a regular role since his four-year Packers tenure ended after the 2016 season. The Packers passed on Jones’ fifth-year option, and he spent time with the Cowboys and 49ers in 2017.
For his career, the UCLA product has only amassed 10 sacks and made nine starts. But he will have another chance to crack a D-line rotation with the Raiders, who recently agreed to terms with another player who had seen action in just one game over the past two seasons. Their Jeremy Hill deal did not last long, however. Jones’ most recent stay came with the Jaguars in 2019. He could not make the team out of camp, though.
Nice signing by Las Vegas raiders
In a normal year I would say this is a low risk signing. This year I think Jones is a guy familiar with the staff, playbook, and will be used as depth later in the season if needed. Right now if you are not looking at who you can call up past a 100 man roster, you are going into the season unprepared.
As a Packer fan witnessing his career with the team, he’ll probably be about player 100 on that roster!