Raiders: Chandler Jones stepping into a mentoring role for younger players on the team
Chandler Jones is looking to pay it forward after finally getting healthy over the offseason.
When Chandler Jones came into the Las Vegas Raiders' offseason workouts noticeably slimmer, he chalked it up to his rehabilitation process.
To get healthy, he returned to square one, shed, as he described it, the "leaves." And now he is building his body back better.
Jones is also giving the younger players on the Raiders roster — edge rusher Tyree Wilson, who the Raiders selected at the No. 7 pick, and Adam Plant, an undrafted rookie free agent out of UNLV — a few lessons on what made his NFL career so successful until his injury in the 2022 season.
"Where I am now as a player, it's my job to grab guys like Tyree, Adam Plant — another guy you might not have heard of — these guys are young and they have such a high ceiling," Jones said of the Raiders' first-round draft pick and an undrafted rookie from UNLV in a recent article on ESPN. "They can go so far… When I was a young player, I had Vince Wilfork, but he wasn't much of a pass-rusher, but I wish I had a Maxx Crosby, and a Chandler Jones in my room as a rookie. It's our job as a player to pass that down, and the things that we can share … I mean, looking at [Tyree], I'm excited to have him on the team. … He's going to be good for us."
By Jones dropping his playing weight, he said he is in the 250-255 pound range, and choosing to mentor a player like Tyree, who some believe the Raiders selected to replace the 33-year-old Jones, he is showing the maturity the team needs as it hopes to patch together a better 2023 season.
It is easy to throw away what Jones can be. He is coming off an injury that cost him most of the 2022 season. He was off to a slower start when he was playing. And he is on the wrong side of 30. But, Jones feels like he has more to give.
He knows that stats often tell the story in football. However, he is taking a holistic look at his impact on the team at this point in his career. And because of that, the Raiders are a better football team for it.
"Football, especially at this level, statistics are very tricky," Jones said. "You can sit there and stare at stats, but at the end of the day as long as you're grading out well by the coaches and you're doing your job, and you might be freeing up other guys, as long as you're putting the team first, that's all that matters.
"Do I want more stats? Of course. Is that my goal? Of course. I would be selling myself short if I didn't. But you can't go chasing them."
Feature image via Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports.
