Why Deion Jones should stay with the Atlanta Falcons this season

The Atlanta Falcons placed linebacker Deion Jones on the PUP list as the linebacker continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery.  How close Jones will be to the start of the season is unknown considering how few injury updates the Atlanta Falcons have offered thus far.

This is typical of the new regime that rarely offers informative injury updates. Deion Jones has been the subject of much off-season speculation after a season of struggling in Atlanta’s new defensive scheme. Jones was expected to be traded this off-season before the injury news left his future uncertain.

Now with an unknown recovery time and his value at its lowest, there is no reason for Atlanta to move the linebacker before the start of the season. The Falcons need to bring Deion in hoping the linebacker can revitalize his career and play to the level he did early in his career for the Falcons.

If he were to rebuild value and Atlanta feels they have the depth behind him the Falcons can still move Deion at the trade deadline. Moving him before would be a mistake for a team who certainly needs all of the talent they can find in a very limited roster.

Trading Deion Jones before he has had a chance to get back on the field and fully recover would be a mistake for a front office that has made more than one blunder already this off-season.

Jones was a pivotal piece in Atlanta’s last true success and led the defense with his playmaking ability and speed that allowed him to erase mistakes.  Whether it is the new scheme or a lingering injury Jones wasn’t the same player last season but at only twenty-seven there is no reason to think it is from lack of skill.

Whether it is his motor, injuries, or simply the new scheme Jones should be given one more shot to prove last season was the outlier and he is still capable of being a key contributor on Atlanta’s defense.