Broncos Rookie DE Dre'Mont Jones Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Broncos' rookie class just keeps putting wood on the fire.

Dre'Mont Jones missed Week 15 with an ankle sprain and when it came time to suit up for the Denver Broncos' Week 16 throwdown with the Detroit Lions, the rookie went down onto the field and tested out the injury. 

The ankle wasn't quite 100% but Jones bore down and suited up. What ensued was an emergent performance. 

The rookie defensive end wreaked havoc for the defense, totaling five tackles and 2.5 sacks, helping the Broncos emerge victorious 27-17. For his performance, Jones was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. 

“The impressive thing about Dre’Mont is he was battling an injury," defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said on Friday, "And to stay the course as a young player and to come out and have a productive day like that is very impressive.”

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Jones is the second Bronco to earn Conference DPoW honors, as S Kareem Jackson was also a recipient in 14. But it's important to keep in mind, Jackson is in his 10th NFL season and yet it was the first Conference honors he'd ever received, which portends well for Jones' future in the Orange and Blue.

“It meant a lot to me, especially because of the history behind it and being the third rookie [in team history] to do it,” Jones said on Friday.

Jones was Denver's third-round draft pick this past spring out of Ohio State. As a rookie, he has appeared in 13 games, totaling14 tackles (8 solo), 3.5 sacks, one interception and two passes defensed.

Jones is the third NFL rookie to be named AFC Defensive Player of the Week this season. And the honor marks the just the third time a Broncos rookie has received it since the award was initiated by the NFL in 1984 (ILB D.J. Williams – 2004, Week 16; OLB Von Miller – 2011, Week 11).

Jones’ honor represents the 35th time a Broncos player has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. A pretty cool distinction for the rookie. 

Coach Donatell praised Jones for his gritty performance, as did head coach Vic Fangio earlier this week. Considering the number of players on the Broncos' D-line who are poised to be unrestricted free agents, and also the fact that Derek Wolfe has been sitting on injured reserve for a few weeks, the team really needed someone to emerge upfront. 

Jones stepped up big time for his team and is picking up momentum heading into the offseason. It would be a good bet that he ends up not only winning a starting job next season, but only gets better, especially as a pass rusher. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.