Eagles training camp notes: Sidney Jones is using his time wisely

Eagles rookie cornerback Sidney Jones is impressing coaches even if he isn’t on the field.

Well if a quarterback can redshirt a rookie season with no one objecting, why can’t a cornerback? No one seems to have any objections about the Philadelphia Eagles decision to take Sidney Jones in the 2017 NFL Draft. This despite the fact that common knowledge indicated he wouldn’t be available for his rookie season. He was, simply, in the eyes of many including the Eagles organization, too talented to pass up.

A season ago, it was the same theory with quarterback Carson Wentz. He’d take a year and carry the clipboard, and then, he’d be thrown into the fire in year two. As it turned out, Wentz became a day-one starter. That isn’t possible for Jones. Sure, fans would love to see him on the field immediately, especially given the Eagles situation at cornerback, but even though that won’t be happening, the young man is making good use of his time according to coaches.

A word from Schwartz:

“There are still a lot of things he can learn.” said Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz when he was asked about the rookie recently. The Eagles top man on defense gave us a look into what he was seeing from a perspective that’s approaching almost thirty years in coaching:

"It’s a tough situation. It’s tough. First of all, training camp is a grind anyway. You’re out there. You’re practicing and you’re meeting, you’re lifting, you’re doing all those things. It’s harder when you’re not the one that’s on the film. He has a tough job. He’s been very good at staying up with things. This is [what] we told him. At some point, he’s going to play. Who knows when it’s going to be? We don’t know, but his job is to make sure he’s mentally ready when he’s physically ready."

The grind of training camp:

You can check the box next to the rookie getting the mental aspects of preparation down. “General” Schwartz made sure he filled us in on how the rookie’s been asking questions and leaning on the vets for advice. He continued:

"When he’s physically ready, he can’t say, ‘Okay, now it’s time to get mentally ready.’ He’s a smart guy, picks things up quick. He asks good questions. Those are all important things for him. Just, even if he’s not out there, he can experience something from the competitiveness of a red zone drill and see the way that veteran players react. He can see the way that Malcolm [Jenkins] and Rodney [McLeod] practice after a bad day and things like that. There are still a lot of things he can learn."

What can we say? The guy’s a rookie, but he still seems to be mature beyond his years. It’s going to be great to watch all of this translate to the field. Looking at Philly’s secondary, he can’t get out there fast enough.