WATCH: Julio Jones absolutely demolishes Dallas safety to prevent interception
Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones is one of the best receivers in the NFL today, but he probably could have been a great safety, too.
When a ball is thrown up for grabs by a quarterback, it’s a receiver’s responsibility to try to catch it. Failing that, he needs to make sure a defender doesn’t catch it.
Jones, a former Alabama star, did just that on Sunday against the Cowboys. As you can see below, a ball is going to be intercepted by a Dallas safety, but Jones lays a bone-crunching (and legal) hit on him to break up the catch:
https://twitter.com/LeadingNFL/status/1064233221259292672
That’s a huge play by Jones, and it saved QB Matt Ryan an interception. The Falcons went down the field and made a long field goal on the drive, so Jones’s big play led to points.
Now, we’ll have to see if the Falcons try Jones out on defense more often.