Philadelphia Eagles: Sidney Jones becomes a healthy scratch
The Philadelphia Eagles do not plan to play Sidney Jones moving forward as their cornerbacks unit gets healthier.
What was once a promising value pick became nothing more than a failed experiment. Back in 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles were in search of help at the cornerback position. They eyed up a few guys for the first round, but with the way everything was panning out, their best bet was selecting defensive end, Derek Barnett.
It wasn’t until the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft when the Eagles decided to find their fix for the position. However, their idea of a fix didn’t help make an immediate impact.
As they selected Washington’s Sidney Jones in the second round, the Eagles knew that the young cornerback required patience. As Jones dealt with a ruptured Achilles, it was unlikely he was going to play until 2018.
Jones was able to make it back to the field by the end of his rookie season, but he wouldn’t stay healthy for long. Throughout his first three seasons in the NFL, Jones has dealt with numerous setbacks. For that, his ability to progress has been put on hold more often than not as he spent more time nursing injuries rather than improving his game.
Last season, Jones started off the year as the team’s number one nickel cornerback. This season, he’s become a healthy scratch halfway through the year.
Are Sidney Jones’ days in Philly over?
Sidney Jones is a healthy scratch today I’m told
— Derrick Gunn (@RealDGunn) November 3, 2019
As the Eagles get Avonte Maddox back in the lineup this week, the second-year veteran is expected to get the nod over Jones for the starting nickel back position.
And considering Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, and Rasul Douglas are all ahead of Jones for the outside slot, that only makes Jones useful in one area — special teams.
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Since Craig James plays special teams while Jones does not, the Eagles do not see a reason why they should suit up Jones.
At this point, it has become evident that if the Eagles keep their cornerbacks healthy, Jones is more than likely not going to suit up for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see how they handle him moving forward since he still has a year left on his contract.