Sidney Jones could Become a Bust if he doesn't Stay Healthy
That “B” word is beginning to swirl incessantly around Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones.
That word is “bust” as the third-year cornerback battles through another hamstring injury.
“It is what it is,” said Jones on Friday. “I can’t do anything about anyone else’s opinion. That’s their opinion, they’re entitled to it. I block it out. I have to move on with my life and take it for what it is and get back healthy and stay on the field and produce.”
There hasn’t been much staying on the field let alone production from Jones since he entered the league as a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, though he joined the league while still wearing a walking boot. He spent all but one game of his rookie season rehabbing an Achilles injury he suffered during his pro day in March of that year.
After a one-game absence this season, Jones is healthy again and will likely return to his role as the Eagles’ starting cornerback opposite Rasul Douglas when the Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (1 p.m./FOX TV) at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“It’s been a real improved week compared to last week,” said Jones, who hurt the hamstring early in the Eagles’ Thursday night win over the Green Bay Packers in Week Four. “I’m in a way better position than I was last week, so I feel confident.”
Jones practiced most of the week. Last year, he had a hamstring injury that never fully healed and he played just nine games, though even in those games he was hampered by it.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s a new year,” said Jones. “It wasn’t as severe as last year, so it is what it is. I’m healthy now to just step back on the field.”
How long Jones will last this time is anybody’s guess.
He wants to help stabilize the cornerback rotation for the rest of the season, but, well, that’s been easier said than done for him. This was supposed to be a big year for the cornerback to prove he can stay healthy and play up to the expectations that led to him being drafted 43rd overall.
So far, not so good.
“That’s my first and foremost goal of the season and it was disappointing that it happened, but that’s my number one importance is getting back on the field and staying on the field,” said Jones. “I just need to be available and play every week because that’s very important to this team.”
Jones said his confidence level is intact, but that will be tested by Vikings receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs on Sunday.
“That’s something you have to work on,” said Jones. “I feel like for me, or for any player, talking big picture you take a couple days off, or a week off, there’s going to be some rust you need to knock off, but once you get back into it, it’s football. We’ve been doing it since we were young so my confidence is still high.”
Head coach Doug Pederson talked earlier in the week about Jones having to break through the pain threshold and realize that he is OK. The coach talked about it again on Friday.
“Think of the times when you've been ill or sick and you still have to go to work, and you still have to show up,” said Pederson. “You almost have to trick your body sometimes that you're okay. With injury, it's a little the same way.
“In any athlete, not just Sidney, but in any athlete's case, that is the case. We need to get them out on the practice field. We have to push them as coaches just a little bit. Not risk further injury. We're not going to do that. But get them to feel comfortable and confident that everything is okay, and once they push past that barrier then we're good, and then they learn to play that way, they learn practice that way.”
Jones said he hadn’t heard the coach talk about pain thresholds.
“It’s been a battle with my body and stuff,” he said. “I’m not going to say it’s easy, but you can’t sit here and dwell on it. That’s how you go in the dumps, so you have to take it for what it is and jump that hurdle that he says was there. You just have to play every snap and come back harder every time.”
If Jones doesn’t come back harder and keep coming back week after week, that bust label may end up sticking.
