When D.J. Jones was a senior, he transferred to Wren High School in Piedmont, S.C., coming from a smaller program in the hopes of increasing his recruiting profile. One game into the season, coach Jeff Tate wasn’t pleased with his team’s slow start.
Tate challenged Jones to prove his status as playmaker. The response by the Broncos’ nose tackle — who signed a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason to be a centerpiece of Denver’s defensive front — accurately sums up Jones’ value as a run-stuffer both then and now.
“They were running a counter on us, and they pulled the guard, and D.