D. J. Jones

David Oliver "D. J." Jones (born January 19, 1995) is an American professional football nose tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. Jones was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

College career After impressive years throughout high school, Jones was heavily recruited for football by colleges throughout the U.S.

Jones began his college career at the East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi, the school that was featured in the 2016 Netflix documentary "Last Chance U". As a two-year starter during his two seasons, Jones helped guide East Mississippi to a perfect 24–0 record and two NJCAA national championships. In 2013, as a freshman, he played in 12 games and registered 49 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 1 forced fumble. As a sophomore, he earned MACJC all-region and all-state honors and recorded 29 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2 forced fumbles in 12 games. Prior to transferring, Jones was listed as the No. 3 junior college prospect in the country by 247sports.com and ESPN.com.

He transferred to the University of Mississippi for the 2015 season. After transferring, Jones immediately became one of the strongest Rebels. According to NFL.com, he benched 440 pounds, squatted 650 pounds and had a max clean of 330 pounds when he finished his time at East Mississippi Community College.

In two seasons at Ole Miss, Jones played in 25 games, with 15 starts, and registered 70 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection. In 2016, as a senior, he started all 12 games and tallied 30 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery. As a junior, he played in 13 games, starting three of them, and notched 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1 forced fumble.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers Jones was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round, 198th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. Jones was a big part of the Niners defensive line rotation and a stalwart against the run. He improved from his rookie to his sophomore year, with the analytic website Pro Football Focus noting his grade against the run improved from 57.5 as a rookie to 63.9 in 2018. He was in on 13 percent of defensive snaps in 2017 and 22 percent in 2018. On October 27, 2019, Jones got his first career sack on Kyle Allen of the Carolina Panthers.

In 2019, Jones started 11 games before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 14. He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2019.

Jones was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 23, 2020, and activated on December 2.

Jones re-signed with the 49ers on a one-year contract on March 22, 2021.

Denver Broncos On March 17, 2022, Jones signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Denver Broncos. Jones served as the primary defensive tackle and nose tackle in their 3–4 defensive scheme, starting 48 games and logging 122 tackles, eleven quarterback hits, nine tackles-for-loss, nine pass deflections, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries over the course of three seasons.

On March 11, 2025, Jones signed a three-year, $39 million extension with the Broncos.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2017 SF 9 0 10 8 2 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2018 SF 10 4 17 11 6 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 SF 11 11 23 19 4 2.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2020 SF 14 14 20 14 6 3.0 7 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2021 SF 17 17 56 40 16 2.0 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2022 DEN 15 15 34 22 12 2.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 2023 DEN 16 16 46 30 16 2.0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 3 0 2 14 0 2024 DEN 17 17 42 21 21 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 2025 DEN 16 14 39 21 18 3.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Career 125 108 287 186 101 15.0 36 0 0 0.0 0 0 13 6 0 3 14 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2021 SF 3 3 8 4 4 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 DEN 1 0 7 5 2 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 DEN 2 2 6 2 4 1.5 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 6 5 21 11 10 3.5 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life On October 7, 2019, Jones and his girlfriend, Kayla Fannin, got engaged on the field at Levi's Stadium in the hours leading up to the kickoff against the Cleveland Browns. Jones decided to pop the question to his girlfriend, Kayla Fannin, ahead of the San Francisco 49ers' Monday Night Football matchup. Fannin and family gathered on the sidelines for pregame photos when Jones distracted his girlfriend and dropped to a knee behind her. The emotional affair was featured on the video boards across Levi's Stadium.

In 2020, Jones announced, on Instagram, his marriage to Kayla and wedding pictures were posted.