Here’s a name that should be familiar to you Carolina Panthers fans out there.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Monday morning, the team is set to work out former divisional foe and linebacker Deion Jones.
Here in Spartanburg for #Panthers camp, Carolina is set to work out FA LB Deion Jones after practice, source said. A possible depth addition. Jones was with the #Browns last year after becoming a Pro Bowler with the #Falcons.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 31, 2023
A standout at Louisiana State University, Jones was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. He’d burst onto the scene during his first two years there, starting with an impressive debut campaign that eventually placed him third in the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Jones, in 2016, led the entire NFL in interceptions returned for touchdowns (two) and interception return yards (165) while amassing 108 combined tackles. He followed that up with a Pro Bowl 2017—where he recorded 138 tackles (10 for a loss) and a sack.
After spending the first six years of his pro career in Atlanta, the 6-foot-1, 227-pound backer was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a 2024 sixth-round pick on Oct. 10, 2022. He appeared in 11 games for the Browns—totaling five starts, 44 takedowns, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.