Philadelphia Eagles: Sidney Jones could make elite defense even better
The Philadelphia Eagles defense was key to their Super Bowl victory, and they could be even better if Sidney Jones reaches his potential.
In all likelihood, Sidney Jones would have been a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Coming out of Washington, the cornerback looked to be a potential star at the position with coverage skills near-unmatched by any other player in his class, and playmaking ability on the ball to complement those skills further. However, things didn’t play out that way, much to the ultimate delight of the Philadelphia Eagles.
While working out at his pro day, Jones suffered a torn Achilles. As such, his draft stock plummeted as there were questions about his recovery and if he’d be the same player once he returned from the injury. The Eagles, however, were not so concerned. Instead, they used their second-round selection (No. 43 overall) to nab the cornerback in the draft.
Jones’s recovery went quite well, perhaps even better than Philly could have hoped for. He was able to return to the active roster as a rookie and even played 29 snaps for the eventual champions. But now he’s expected to be more than just that for the defense, and that’s a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, Jones has been tearing it up at Eagles OTAs thus far:
"Second-year CB Sidney Jones has turned heads early on in OTAs, showing the ability that had him pegged as a top-20 pick before he tore his Achilles ahead of the 2017 draft"
As Breer also notes in the piece, the secondary was arguably the Eagles’ biggest weakness last season, especially when they were forced to play without Ronald Darby, also due to injury. However, a healthy Darby and Jones should move Jalen Mills out of full-time duties and potentially offer Philadelphia a 1-2 cornerback tandem among the league’s elite.
The defending Super Bowl champions improving a weakness is obviously a daunting notion, but it’s completely possible. What’s more, Jones’ arrival as a full-time, healthy contributor at corner could make the biggest strength of the Eagles, their defense, even more formidable. Putting a high-quality secondary behind arguably the best defensive front-four in the NFL is close to being unfair.
Next: NFL 2018: Rookie class bold predictions
Yet, that’s what the NFC East and the rest of the league could be in for. There’s no guarantee that Jones is a star and a first-round talent — that wouldn’t be so with or without coming off a serious injury. But with promising signs at this point, it certainly seems like the best could be getting better.