Philadelphia Eagles: Will Sidney Jones debut in Week 17?
The Philadelphia Eagles have a tough choice to make regarding Sidney Jones this week.
This season has been tough for Philadelphia Eagles rookie Sidney Jones. The 2017 second-round pick had to watch from the sidelines for the entire 2017 season. The Eagles organization knew when they drafted Jones that there would be a possibility he misses his rookie season. After 16 long weeks, the Eagles finally have a big decision to make. Will they play Jones in the season finale? Or will they officially shut him down until 2018 OTA’s?
According to the NFL rulebook, Jones would have to be activated on gameday this week in order to remain eligible. If he is not suited up on Sunday, they will be forced to put him back on the IR. Making him officially ineligible for any chance to play in the playoffs.
The decision clearly isn’t easy. While this would be the perfect week to let Jones get some needed experience, they also wouldn’t want to rush him back if he is not truly ready. Eagles defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz told the media on Wednesday that Jones is mentally ready. Now the physical aspect of his game is what would hold him back.
Should Jones play this week?
This situation could be tricky for the Eagles. If you use the Ronald Darby situation from earlier in the season as a reference, you could realize that Jones may not be physically prepared. Considering he hasn’t played a snap of competitive football in close to a year, it could be very tough for him to get back on track.
When Darby missed close to 11 weeks after his ankle injury, he made it clear that it was very difficult for him to get back into football shape. Even though he had a full offseason of preparation. It was still difficult physically for him to be prepared to play for a full four quarters.
Jones’ situation will be a lot more difficult. He was injured back in the springtime, which required him to get surgery and avoid any physical activity outside of his rehabilitation. Now with a couple week’s of practice under his belt, is Sidney Jones ready for gameday?
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Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has stated Jones will be day-to-day with his injury. That means that there could be a good possibility that he plays. But then again, the Eagles have been very good at keeping things quiet with general answers in the media regarding injured players this season. While it seems like Jones could play this week, our best guess is that the Eagles keep him shelved until 2018. At this point of the season, there is no need to rush him back.