Eagles DC Jim Schwartz says there’s still a role for Sidney Jones
There’s a lot of frustration surrounding the Eagles’ third-year man and cornerback Sidney Jones, but his defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz hasn’t given up on him yet.
These days, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has a lot on his mind. He can’t get through any conversation without being asked about Sidney Jones and the rest of his secondary, and this week, he’s got Tom Brady and the New England Patriots coming to town.
It’s been said over and over again, yet it can’t be said enough. If a team selects someone in the second round of any NFL Draft, they just don’t expect him to play. They expect him to be a valuable contributor to the team for years to come. Look no further for a reason as to why Eagles fans are frustrated with both rookie wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside and third-year cornerback Sidney Jones than that one.
These days, they aren’t even getting any playing time. Arcega-Whiteside rarely gets any mention, but it’s been different with Mr. Jones. The Eagles defense is constantly a topic of discussion, particularly their secondary, and when Philly returned to work from their bye week, the media wasted no time in running down the defensive coordinator.
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As usual, Jones’ name came up. On the subject of why Jones doesn’t currently have a role in the defense, Schwartz said this:
"That’s just the way it’s gone. Like I said, we got some other guys back (earlier in the conversation Schwartz had mentioned that Philly had gotten Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, and Avonte Maddox and had the potential to get Cre’Von LeBlanc very soon). When it gets to Sunday, (there are) some tough roster decisions that need to be made with who’s on the 46 (man roster) based on what packages you’re going to play defensively and what you’re doing on special teams, so the one thing (that) we’ve learned about defensive backs, or players in general, is we’ll need everybody over the course of the season. We’ll keep him ready, and he’ll be ready every week."
By now, if you’re an Eagles fan, you know how these things work. Injuries are a part of the game. They’ve been a major part of Philly’s story for two seasons. Cre’Von LeBlanc isn’t back yet. The 17-week season in the NFL is a marathon, not a sprint, and Ronald Darby can get hurt while putting his cleats on.
Don’t count Jones out yet. You might see him again before the curtain closes on the 2019 campaign.