Philadelphia Eagles: Sidney Jones’ health is not his biggest concern
At this point, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones needs to get out of his own head, and Doug Pederson has acknowledged that.
We’re now approaching the third year of the Sidney Jones era at cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, and at this point, the former second-round pick is entering ‘bust’ territory. How much more can the Eagles take of Jones, who can’t seem to keep himself on the field?
Missing his rookie season was inevitable as Jones suffered an Achilles tear during his pro day before the draft. But since becoming fully healthy before his sophomore effort had begun, Jones has continuously dealt with nagging injuries elsewhere.
During his rookie debut in 2017, Sidney Jones suited up for the final game of the year. He ended up leaving the field early due to a hamstring strain, which eventually became a common issue moving forward. Last season, Jones started the year off healthy, but missed time by Week 7.
Jones’ hamstring failed him. And although he returned by Week 11, Jones would get shut down for the season after Week 14 with the same issue. He wrapped up the year with nine games played. This year, we’re witnessing the same type of problems, and now we’re growing fed up.
Jones was healthy throughout the offseason, but by Week 4, he left the game early as he dealt with… you guessed it! A hamstring injury. Jones would suit up for Week 5, but he never saw the field. This week, he’s expected to suit up once again, and hopefully, he will be able to see the field.
Right now, Jones might not be one-hundred percent healthy, but the mental aspect of his mishaps have seemingly taken over in the eyes of Eagles’ head coach, Doug Pederson. While discussing Jones on Wednesday morning, Pederson seemed a bit irritated while approaching the topic.
What else is new?
Remember two weeks ago when Jones and Avonte Maddox both left the game with injuries? After the game, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was asked about the thinning situation at cornerback. The veteran safety responded with what we were all thinking — “what else is new?”
What else is new is right. Although Maddox’s injury was an unfortunate one-time thing — Jones’ was not. In fact, the hamstring issue is prevalent. And at this point, Doug Pederson is beginning to question it, as he believes Jones’ lack of confidence could be taking over his mind.
“I think sometimes with an injury, I don’t care what type of injury, you get to that point through your rehab and your conditioning where you’ve got to push yourself,” Pederson said on Wednesday, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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“You kind of [have to] break through the glass, and you’re on the other side of it, and then once you get to that point, all the mental stuff goes away and now you can just focus on ball again.” Pederson wouldn’t come outright and say it — but it sure sounds like Jones is beginning to frustrate the Eagles coaching staff as of right now. As the medical team has no further answer on Jones’ inability to stay healthy, the mental aspect is becoming the big question here.