Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones hasn't played in San Francisco in three seasons but knows full well what new imports Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga bring to the table.
Jones, who signed a new contract in Denver ahead of free agency, played three seasons with Greenlaw in San Francisco and was a Niner for Hufanga's rookie campaign in 2021. The 30-year-old Jones believes the additions can transform the Broncos defense from good to great.
"We're getting game-changers," Jones told the official team website. "We've already got some game-changers. We've got a Zach Allen, we've got a Pat Surtain II -- but now we're getting game-changers that are going to make everybody else become game-changers. What we're getting is people that know ball, play ball at a high level and all they want to do is ball. That's it. They've got the right formula. They've got the right juice about themselves.
"I'm so excited. I'm more excited for them than I am for this new deal. I'm not lying. I can't put it into words, so I'll just let their actions show how I feel."
It's hard to argue with Jones. Greenlaw is a sideline-to-sideline menace, and Hufanga is a speeding bullet on the backend. Combined, they bring a ferocity that was absent at times last year in Denver.
The caveat, of course, is both are coming off injury-marred seasons. Hufanga played seven games, and Greenlaw appeared in only two. The linebacker hasn't played a full slate of games since 2019, while Hufanga missed chunks of the past two campaigns.
If the duo can stay healthy, Vance Joseph's defense will get much more menacing.
"When you have a defense that when you go from [player] 1 to 11 and you look at each name and you can't really find a weakness in what they're doing, that's a tough team to go against," Jones said. "That's a tough team to go against, and that's what we've got right now.
"Right now, I'm more excited for the first day of practice than anything, so everyone can see what we've got. I know what's coming. We're going to make each other better. Everybody's going to make each other better."
In Year 3 under Sean Payton, expectations are rising in the Mile High City.
