Grading the Jaguars 2020 Free Agents: Cornerback Sidney Jones IV
The Jacksonville Jaguars, like many teams in the National Football League, found themselves in a precarious situation last spring. A global pandemic meant scouts and coaches were limited to tape when evaluating players. As such, the Jaguars kept their free agent signings modest.
From there, the list shrunk even more as a handful of those signed elected to retire and/or opt-out for the season.
There were six though that saw significant time on the field for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season and we’ll spend the next few days grading their performance.
Cornerback Sidney Jones IV came to the Jaguars after three years with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was brought in after injuries and opt-outs left a young unit depleted of anything resembling experience. Instead of just being a stop-gap though, Jones became one of the stars of the Jags secondary, before injuries cut his own season short.
What Went Right
The epitome of a ball hawk, Jones immediately came in and helped Jacksonville change the turnover margin. In Week 5, Jones recorded an interception off of Deshaun Watson and then broke up a pass to cause another Jaguars interception. He added a second turnover versus Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Jones led the team in passes defended (9) and is tied for interceptions with Joe Schobert (2). He had 26 tackles and one forced fumble on the year.
According to Pro Football Focus, it was Jones’ best season yet from a defensive grade standpoint and he posted a 74 or better in coverage four times in seven games. A month into the season, PFF had given Jones the highest grade for a corner in the league (91.9).
“I think Sidney Jones, because he wasn’t here [early in the season], I think has really helped us,” said former defensive coordinator Todd Wash at the midway point of the season.
“We’re fortunate honestly. We’re happy that he was able to come in and we were able to get him and him to play football for us.”
Jones was stingy enough to play on an island and physical enough to go sideline-to-sideline. While other rookies and young guys saw improvement as the season progressed, Jones was one of the few to inspire confidence each time he stepped on to the field.
What Went Wrong
As solid as Jones was/is, he was only able to play in eight games, largely due to injures. He was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 14 with an Achilles injury, the same thing that caused him to miss three weeks after the Green Bay Packers game…and hampered his first round chances out of college, when he tore the tendon during his Pro Day.
His spotty and virtually habitual injury history—various hamstring injuries as well means he’s never played more than nine games in a season—appear worrisome if he’s going to be someone the Jaguars, or any other team, want to consistently depend on as a starter.
Overall Grade On This Signing: A-
There was little question when Jones was on the field, he was the Jaguars' best cornerback opposite of rookie CJ Henderson ... there was just the small matter of him not being on the field half the time.
