Jones not expected to play vs. Patriots

The Browns aren't expected to play newly acquired LB Deion Jones against the Patriots today, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. That clears the path for Jacob Phillips and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to continue leading the position in playing time. We'll look for more on Jones' expected role once he does take the field.

The Browns have activated LB Deion Jones (shoulder) from IR. He's expected to make his 1st appearance with his new team Sunday against the Ravens. It's not yet clear what his role will be, though, in a LB corps that has been evolving since Anthony Walker Jr. went down.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Browns are trading for Falcons LB Deion Jones. The veteran brings a wealth of starting experience and a big contract with him. Terms of the trade, though, point to how far his status has fallen. Cleveland is sending just a 6th-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to Atlanta for Jones and a 7th-rounder in the same draft. Atlanta has been rumored to be selling Jones since the offseason, primarily seeking to unload his contract. The Browns likely view Jones as a chance worth taking in a LB corps that lost Anthony Walker for the season and just got abused by Austin Ekeler and the Chargers. We'll see whether and how soon Jones gets a shot at significant playing time. He has yet to take the field this year following offseason shoulder surgery and an August hamstring issue.

The Falcons on Thursday placed LB Deion Jones on IR. It's a surprising move, given that Jones had recently come off the PUP and played in the team's preseason finale. Jones had shoulder surgery early in the offseason. We'll see whether the team reveals how long it expects him to be out. Jones' deactivation leaves Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker looking like the best bets for playing time among Falcons LBs.

Falcons LB Deion Jones returned to the practice field this week for the 1st time following offseason shoulder surgery. He worked with 3rd- and 4th-stringers, though, according to the team website. The highly paid also saw time on the punt team. "I'll give Deion credit, because he's going to come out here and he's going to compete," HC Arthur Smith said afterward. "He's going to work his way back in. It's going to be hard to get on the field in that room. And that's what you want with that competition. Rashaan [Evans] and Mykal Walker are doing a great job. We gotta see what Troy [Andersen] can do. [Nathan] Landman, Dorian [Etheridge]? They've had good preseasons. It's going to play itself out." Jones was the subject of trade/cut rumors before the shoulder surgery sidelined him. Atlanta would probably love to trade him for pretty much anything, which would offer salary-cap relief. Cutting Jones, on the other hand, would cost nearly $25 million in dead cap. The final year on his contract (2023) has much more cuttable terms. All of that is complicated by Jones coming off -- by far -- the poorest-graded season of his career. It seems likely that Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker start ahead of him, at least to open the season. Don't be afraid to just avoid the whole Falcons LB situation in your IDP drafts.

The Falcons opened training camp with LB Deion Jones on the physically unable to perform list. Jones is working back from shoulder surgery that kept him out of the offseason program. The team said at the time that it expected him to be ready for the start of training camp. We'll see how long the veteran stays on the PUP. (Atlanta can activate him at any point.)