Bills Today

Bills Today: Rochester native Jarron Jones returns home for opportunity with the Bills

Aug 07, 2019 at 05:00 AM

Nate Mendelson

Contributing Correspondent

1. Rochester native Jarron Jones returns home

The Bills signed offensive tackle Jarron Jones just before the final practice at St. John Fisher College began on Tuesday. The NFL journeyman has made stops with the New York Giants, Dallas, Seattle, Washington, Tampa Bay, and Detroit. Now, the Rochester-native is back home.

Jones attended Aquinas Institute as a defensive tackle. A position he played until he joined the NFL in 2017. James led Aquinas to the 2010 state high school football championship and was named to the All-Greater Rochester team twice and the all-state team. From there he went on to play at Notre Dame.

"I'm very happy with the opportunity. It's good to be home and see familiar faces and stuff like that, but I'm here to work and try to crack the 53 or wherever they need me," Jones said.

Jones was in Rochester for Park Ave. Fest this past weekend. He flew back to Dallas and as soon as he got home he received a call that Buffalo wants him to work out.

The process was done so quickly that Jones' mother Lakiescha didn't know the signing happened until 8:44 a.m. Tuesday, just an hour before practice. Lakiescha rushed over from work and made it to the campus wearing a Notre Dame visor and shirt with images of her son all over it just a half hour later.

"It's been a whirlwind," she said. "It's a blessing, nothing but the Lord, all I can say. Thank you, thank you, I love the Bills. Everybody is sending congratulations, we're just happy for him. As long as he's employed and he's happy, we're here to support him. My brother is a big-time Dallas fan, and I have to get him to wear Bills stuff now. The Lord has granted us this opportunity. How long it lasts, we're here for the ride."

2. Defense prepares for first preseason game

The Buffalo Bills will play their first game of the 2019 season Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Sean McDermott said on Tuesday that the starters will play roughly a quarter during the exhibition.

Second-year middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, now a leader on the defense, understands that preseason games will be used as building blocks for the first official week of the 2019 NFL season.

"I think the main thing in just communication," Edmunds said. "Making sure we all plan the same thing. Help each other out there, play as a team, there's going to be things that come up. But, that's what this time is for, getting corrected and learning from it."

"It's early right now, we're just trying to get better. There's always new things that come up, that's just football. So we're trying to learn more every and just get better than that."

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3. NFL.com analyst: Buffalo deserves more love

NFL.com writer Adam Rank is a fan of the Buffalo Bills. His latest piece on unpopular opinions states how he thinks the 49ers are overhyped and the Bills deserve more love.

But the reason I'm leaning toward the Bills is the defense. Thanks to the Giants and Raiders making surprise picks in the draft (I didn't say bad picks, but they were sort of surprise picks), the Bills landed DT Ed Oliver to fill in for the retired Kyle Williams. Oliver had 54 tackles for loss from 2016 to '18 at Houston, the second-most among FBS players.

Oliver joined a Bills defense that ranked second in total defense last season and first in passing defense.

I'm not saying the Bills are going to unseat the Patriots. The offense isn't ready for that. But, if you're looking for a dark horse this season, I'd lean Buffalo over San Francisco.