Philadelphia Eagles don’t plan to rush Sidney Jones’ debut

2017 second-round draft pick, Sidney Jones’ debut may be held off longer than expected.

When the Philadelphia Eagles selected cornerback Sidney Jones in the 2017 NFL Draft, no one expected him to play at all this season. As most of you know, Jones tore his Achilles at his Washington pro day back in April. The kid who was once projected to be the number one corner in the draft eventually dropped to the second round.

The Eagles decided to get what could be the biggest steal in the draft. The only problem was that they have to wait for Jones to heal. Two weeks ago, the Eagles cornerback situation was horrendous. The veteran Patrick Robinson was struggling against backups and the second-year veteran Jalen Mills was inconsistent.

The Jones selection was starting to feel like a bad pick since the Eagles were totally desperate at cornerback. That was until they decided to trade away wide receiver Jordan Matthews for cornerback Ronald Darby.

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Darby is a young 23-year old cornerback who played just two seasons with the Buffalo Bills. After the trade left some Philly fans skeptical, Darby assured the fan base that they made the right choice. After just one full week of practice and a preseason game, Darby has already proven to be the best cornerback on the team.

Let’s not leave out Jalen Mills though. In the first two games of the preseason, Mills has displayed some solid coverage and tackling. We knew that he showed some decent playing last season, but he had to work on being consistent. So far Mills has been consistent enough to earn the trust of the coaches to remain as a starter.

Where does this leave Sidney?

The last thing that the Eagles want to do is to rush Jones out on the field. What seemed like a season ending injury could now have him returning as early as October. Although it is doubtful that will happen, we wouldn’t have ruled that out a week ago.

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The Eagles were flat out desperate at cornerback and rushing Jones’ rookie debut seemed like a good idea for a second. Now it looks like the staff doesn’t even have that thought in mind. Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman told the media they have no plan to rush him into action.

The Statement:

Obviously, most are anxious to see his debut, but everyone wants to make sure all is well and he isn’t risking another major injury. It looks like the Eagles have now gained full confidence in their situation at cornerbacks. With Jones on deck to be a star, the Eagles will soar with Darby and Mills on the outside. Two young players who have proven they can keep up and are eager to prove more.

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Things are looking up for the Eagles defense after having two solid consecutive weeks in the preseason. We knew that the guys up front were good, but the defensive backs are proving that they are worth a look as well. As Jones eases his way back into football activities, the other guys are making sure they hold it down for his return.