 Jones with theDenver Broncos in 2025 | |||||||||||||
| No. 93 – Denver Broncos | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-01-19)January 19, 1995 (age 30) Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Wren(Piedmont, South Carolina) | ||||||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 2017: 6th round, 198th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2025 | |||||||||||||
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David Oliver "D. J."Jones (born January 19, 1995) is an American professionalfootballdefensive tackle for theDenver Broncos of theNational Football League (NFL).[1] He playedcollege football for theOle Miss Rebels. Jones was selected by theSan Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the2017 NFL draft.[2]
After impressive years throughout high school, Jones was heavily recruited for football by colleges throughout the U.S.
Jones began his college career at theEast Mississippi Community College inScooba, Mississippi, the school that was featured in the 2016Netflix 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 twoNJCAA national championships. In 2013, as a freshman, he played in 12 games and registered 49tackles, 8.0sacks, 5.0tackles-for-loss and 1 forcedfumble. As a sophomore, he earnedMACJC 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 by247sports.com andESPN.com.
He transferred to theUniversity of Mississippi for the2015 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.[3]
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, 1interception, 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.[4]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 319 lb (145 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 5.04 s | 1.76 s | 2.90 s | 4.65 s | 7.73 s | 28.5 in (0.72 m) | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) | 28 reps | |
| All values from 2017NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Jones was drafted by theSan Francisco 49ers in the sixth round, 198th overall, in the2017 NFL draft.[7] Jones was a big part of the Ninersdefensive line rotation and a stalwart against the run. He improved from his rookie to his sophomore year, with the analytic websitePro Football Focus noting his grade against the run improved from 57.5 as a rookie to 63.9 in 2018.[citation needed] 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 onKyle Allen of theCarolina Panthers.
In 2019, Jones started 11 games before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 14. He was placed oninjured reserve on December 14, 2019.[8]
Jones was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 23, 2020,[9] and activated on December 2.[10]
Jones re-signed with the 49ers on a one-year contract on March 22, 2021.[11]
On March 17, 2022, Jones signed a three-year, $30 million contract with theDenver Broncos.[12] Jones served as the primary defensive tackle andnose tackle in their3–4 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.[13]
On March 11, 2025, Jones signed a three-year, $39 million extension with the Broncos.[14][15][16]
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 theCleveland 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 acrossLevi's Stadium.
In 2020, Jones announced, on Instagram, his marriage to Kayla and wedding pictures were posted.[17]