HOUSTON – For new Texans defensive tackle Naquan Jones, squaring off with the Los Angeles Chargers will be more than a business trip.
For Jones, it’s a game against the team that discarded him after he gave them his all. Claimed off waivers by the Texans, Jones will now face his former team Saturday in a high-profile regular-season matchup with major playoff implications.
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“It’s high emotions, but you kind of want to treat it just like another opponent,” Jones told KPRC 2. “You don’t want to jump off the deep end and do anything to throw off the rest of the defense. I understand it’s personal for me, but it’s personal for everybody. There’s a lot at stake with this game, winning this game. High emotions for me, but everybody else as well.”
Jones (6-foot-3, 313 pounds) has played in 58 career games with eight starts, recording 100 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, 12 tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits. He has played in two games for the Texans and recorded one tackle.
Jones, 27, has previous stints with the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles.
He recorded 10 tackles, one for a loss and one pass deflection in eight games for the Chargers, whose offense is headlined by quarterback Justin Herbert and likes to run the football behind rookie running back Omarion Hamption.
“I know they’re gonna try to establish a run game,” Jones said. “Including myself, these last couple of weeks we’ve cleaned everything up in the run game. Knowing them, knowing their personnel, knowing what they like to do over there, they’re gonna really try to establish the run.
“Hopefully we’re able to knock that out and make them one dimensional. And then just leave it to Justin, honestly. Take him off his game and don’t make him uncomfortable in the pocket again. That works in our favor.”
Herbert, who is playing through a broken bone in his hand, threw a career-high four interceptions in an AFC wild-card playoff loss to the Texans last January.
“Knowing him, knowing how much of a competitor he is, he’s a tough guy, so he’s gonna want to make things happen,” Jones said. “He’s gonna try to extend plays with his feet. I feel like he’s gonna try to do everything to win this game, but making them very one dimensional and making him uncomfortable, that’ll work only in our favor.”
With more time under his belt, Jones is getting more comfortable in coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense.
“Just overall fundamentals, stance, alignment, first step, get-off, attack,” Jones said. “Don’t really read blocks. Previous systems I’ve been in, that was kind of the format like you’re reading blocks rather than getting off the ball attacking.
“I feel like every day I’ve been trying to get a little bit better at that to feel more comfortable changing up, literally changing my entire stance, just my alignment, and this defense is really important that your first step and your alignment is there.”
A victory Saturday clinches a playoff berth for the third year in a row for the Texans.
‘Everybody’s locked in,“ Jones said. ”Coach said that the last two days of preparation were very nice. I mean, you kind of just got to feel everybody in the building has got that mentality when you’re in. So, this isn’t just another game.
“This is probably the most important game of the season right now because of what’s at stake. So, just got to go out there all facets and play complementary football.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com