The Green Bay Packers will need to improve their secondary in 2018. Part of that will be the growth of young players like Josh Jones though.
The Green Bay Packers list of problems in 2017 didn’t start and end with the secondary. That should be highlighted and underlined though. One of the main problems for the Green Bay secondary was simply inexperience. Two of their top performers were rookies in Kevin King and Josh Jones.
Jones truly stood out as someone who could be an elite playmaker though. He’s got a solid combination of athleticism and instincts that helped him standout in his rookie campaign. With that being said though, there were still some spots he could improve upon.
That’s to be expected from any rookie however, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The good news is that throughout the season, it looked as though Jones was starting to pick up on some of his weaker points. With that in mind, major improvements could be made this offseason, leading to an extremely dangerous safety for the Packers.
Even with the prospect of an improved Jones and a devilish combination with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Packers will want to make moves at the position. If it’s through the draft, there will be even more pressure on Jones.
With the Packers adding through the draft, they wouldn’t be addressing their inexperience head-on. This would mean the younger players (mainly Jones and King) would be expected to grow heavily in the offseason.
Luckily for the Packers, Josh Jones has the perfect skill set for growth. His athleticism gives him the ability line up opposite of everyone. I’m not saying he’d shut down Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski, but he’s not going to get bullied by just any ordinary receiver or tight end. He’s also already a solid tackler with decent instincts and speed.
What this all means is that the biggest improvements Jones can make are on in the mental aspects. Things such as reading quarterbacks and blockers, knowing routes, and knowing how to cover a specific player. These are all things that come with experience.
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If Jones hits the books (film room) hard this offseason, and even remains the same physically, drastic improvements will be made. Due to this, it’s easy to get excited about the future of the 23-year old.
The Green Bay Packers will be looking for a number of players to make improvements this offseason. Although he had a strong rookie campaign, Josh Jones is among those who can take the biggest step in 2018, and he’s really not that far off.