Jaguars DC Todd Wash on Sidney Jones' Week 6 Role: 'You Will See A Lot of Him'

For those who were hoping to see more Sidney Jones in the Jacksonville Jaguars defense following a dominant showing in Week 5, they will likely see their wishes fulfilled this weekend against the Detroit Lions.

Jones was Jacksonville's best player in a 30-14 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 5, leading to the obvious question of how the Jaguars could get Jones onto the field more to help a struggling pass defense. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash made it clear Thursday that Jones wouldn't have to wait much longer for another opportunity.

"We’re very excited [about] how he played last week and I think he’s encouraged for how he played. You’ll see a lot of him, obviously, this week," Wash said during a media conference.

"And hopefully he’s going to have the same type of success this week. We’ve got a good group of wideouts we’ve got to defend.”

Against a Texans offense that saw Deshaun Watson throw for 359 yards and Brandin Cooks recording 161 receiving yards, Jones was targeted seven times in coverage but allowed just two completions for 32 yards. The former Philadelphia Eagles second-round selection also recorded an interception and was the reason Jarrod Wilson intercepted a second pass.

Sidney Jones with the INT after a good effort rush from Smoot to get the tip before the ball passes the LOS pic.twitter.com/RbOwCLcR0K
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) October 14, 2020

When Watson targeted Jones, he had a passer rating of just 12.5. For comparison, Watson had a passer rating of 150.9 when targeting Tre Herndon and 153.3 when targeting Chris Claybrooks. Claybrooks and Herndon allowed a combined 11 receptions on 14 targets for 203 yards and one touchdown, while Jones allowed a measly 32 yards.

Claybrooks missed practice on Wednesday with a quadriceps injury and was limited on Thursday, so there is always the chance he isn't healthy enough to start across from CJ Henderson in three-cornerback sets this weekend, which would necessitate Jones starting.

But there is also a chance the Jaguars see Jones as the better option over Claybrooks and play him over the rookie to begin with. Jones has a small sample size in coverage this season, but he has by far the best numbers among the group in terms of completion percentage allowed (28.6), yards per target allowed (4.6) and quarterback rating when targeted (6.5).

As Wash would go on to point out, acquiring Jones after he was released by the Eagles following an injury-plagued three-year tenure was a smart move by the Jaguars scouting staff. Wash said he didn't have many memories of Jones as a prospect when he was at Washington, but it was clear he was a good fit for his defensive scheme entering this season.

“Yeah, you give credit to our pro personnel staff. They keep contracts and all that with teams and that kind of stuff. What they could see, that [spot] could open up. He was on the list early on, so we took a look at him," Wash said. "Obviously as a coaching staff, [we] like what we’ve seen. [He] fits in to what we do and, like I said, he played a heck of a game last week.”

With the Jaguars set to face a Lions receiving group that features Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, the Jaguars need all the help they can get in the secondary this week. Jones looks to play a big role in their efforts to stop the Lions' passing game, which should excite Jaguars fans, coaches and players alike.

"But one thing we’ve noticed when he’s here, since day one, like you said, he has the ability to really transition in off coverage. You’ve seen the success that he had last week and a lot of that was in off coverage and I still think his strength is up in press," Wash said Thursday.

"Pretty much since Sidney [Jones]’s got here he’s been doing just a great job. Obviously, we’re a press corner team, so I think he does a really good job of getting hands on and he’s long outside, that’s not typical of every corner," free safety Jarrod Wilson reaffirmed later in the day.

After just one game, Jones has the support of his coaches and teammates. He proved his potential on the field. Now, he has to take this new opportunity and see if he can truly run with it.