Three years later, the 49ers might have found D.J. Jones’ replacement in Jordan Elliott.
San Francisco added the defensive tackle in efforts to bolster the interior of their defensive line during NFL free agency, agreeing to a reported two-year contract worth $10 million for Elliott’s services.
Now, well into training camp, 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek recognizes that the 26-year-old’s size is reminiscent of Jones’.
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“Yeah, we haven’t had that type of size in there since D.J. left in 2021,” Kocurek told reporters on Monday.
“We haven’t had that [320 pounds]. D.J. was best around [320 pounds]. We haven’t had that 320-plus pound frame, especially down there in the A gap since D.J. left.”
But it’s not only Jones’ size that San Francisco is eager to replace.
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Kocurek and Co. had been searching for a proven plug-and-play option, which Elliott projects to be. He offers the defensive line size and, more importantly, skill.
“We don’t want to get a big guy just to get a big guy,” Kocurek added. “Just say. ‘Hey, let's put him down in the A gap, and he can just eat up blocks. He doesn’t have the skill set that we are necessarily looking for.’
“If you’re going to be a big man, you still have to generate the explosion that the system asks for. It’s like a puzzle up front, you can’t have three guys attacking and one guy just sitting there not creating a new line of scrimmage that works in waves.”
With both Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw out of the picture for San Francisco for the first time since 2020, Elliott’s projection to be the next Jones couldn’t come at a better time.
It just needs to come to fruition, but the profile and skill potential are there.
“We were fortunate to find Jordan, a big dude that can, hopefully, be effective on the inside as D.J. was over the years for us because D.J. was a presence, and we feel like Jordan has the chance to be that type of presence,” Kocurek concluded.