49ers OT Trent Williams: Cardinals’ Chandler Jones is ‘cream of the crop’
Jan 1, 2022, 7:54 PM
(Photo by Daniel Gluskoter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker and pass rush ace Chandler Jones has a long career of getting after the quarterback and causing havoc for opposing offensive lines.
He’s not fallen off, with 9.5 sacks with two games left this season. Jones was named to another Pro Bowl — his fourth such honor — and has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2021.
Divisional foe and San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams has seen his fair share of success against the league’s best pass rushers. Jones, according to Williams, is in a tier all his own.
“I think Chandler Jones is the cream of the crop when it comes to outside linebacker,” Williams said on the The Dan Le Betard Show. “When it comes to pass rusher, I definitely don’t think there’s anybody in the NFL that keeps me up like he does.”
That’s quite the vote of confidence for Jones, as Williams has been regarded as one of the premier tackles in football. The 11-year vet, Williams has made nine Pro Bowls.
Despite being rivals in the division, Williams said he and Jones have a friendly competition going when they line up.
“We have that type of rapport where we can compete at at high level and still talk to each other in a jokingly matter or what have you,” Williams said.
As many young pass rushers have risen the ranks of the league, the Niners left tackle still thinks No. 55 from Arizona is the best of the best.
“Honestly, I don’t really see anyone better than Chandler Jones at the moment,” Williams said. “But when it just comes to pure pass rushing and you look at some of the things Chandler is able do, some of the moves he possess … he literally can wreck a game for you.”