Seahawks CB Sidney Jones Excited About Future in New, Yet Familiar Defensive Scheme
RENTON, WA - For most of his first four NFL seasons, Sidney Jones struggled to stay on the field, battling numerous injuries during stints with the Eagles and Jaguars. Being sidelined so frequently stunted the former second-round pick's development, leading to both teams discarding him in consecutive seasons.
But Jones' fortunes changed for the better last September when Jacksonville shipped him to Seattle in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Though he got off to a slow start due to the inconvenient timing of the trade and adjusting to a new team on the fly, he eventually found his way into the starting lineup and ended the season with career-highs in tackles (66) and pass breakups (8) while playing in 16 games.
Coming off the best season of his career, the 25-year old Jones could have tested the free agent waters a bit longer waiting for the best financial offer. But like running back Rashaad Penny, who also re-signed with the Seahawks on Sunday, he chose to stay put and agreed to terms with the team on a one-year, $3.6 million deal that could be worth north of $4 million with incentives.
“Obviously, I had a chance to hit free agency, but the top priority was trying to get a deal done with Seattle and we made it happen," Jones told reporters on Wednesday. "I had success here. I'm like, why try to go somewhere else right now, at this point in my career? It's Seattle. It's got a special place in my heart.”
Back where he starred collegiately for the Washington Huskies, Jones started off his tenure in Seattle behind the eight ball as he tried to play catchup learning a new scheme and adjusting to playing with new teammates. In the first three games, as he continued to acclimate to his new surroundings, he only saw action on special teams with Tre Flowers and D.J. Reed named as starters.
By Week 4, however, coach Pete Carroll decided to shake things up with Flowers and Reed both struggling. He benched Flowers - who ultimately demanded and received his release - and shifted Reed back to where he was most comfortable on the right side, inserting Jones into the lineup at left cornerback for a road clash with the 49ers.
As far as debuts go, Jones didn't exactly light it up in his first significant action for Seattle defensively. He allowed a 21-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive while covering tight end Ross Dwelley, who used his size to box the 181-pound defender out in the end zone and sky for the rebound. Later in the third quarter, a communication gaffe allowed receiver Deebo Samuel to spring free downfield wide open for an easy 76-yard touchdown catch from Trey Lance.
Things didn't necessarily go much better four days later against the Rams on Thursday Night Football. On a key play in the second half, Jones allowed receiver Desean Jackson to get behind him for a 68-yard catch, setting up a touchdown run by Darrell Henderson to put the visitors out in front 9-7.
But after briefly being demoted in favor of rookie Tre Brown, who suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury in Week 11, Jones returned to the lineup playing with far greater confidence and the results showed on the field. While he allowed a touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz and dropped a potential interception in a loss to the Cardinals that week, he played near-flawless football down the stretch.
In his final six games, Jones allowed quarterbacks to complete only 58.3 percent of their passes and held opposing receivers to under 8.5 yards per reception. Growing more comfortable with the defense and his teammates, he didn't yield a single touchdown in coverage and opposing passers posted a poor 71.2 rating when targeting him, fourth-best among corners with at least 225 coverage reps during that span according to Pro Football Focus.
"When I started to catch my stride, the biggest thing is communication and familiarity with your defense of scheme, not just this scheme, but the players you play with and get a feel for them. I feel like that was one of the biggest things from early in the season where I didn't have that feel," Jones explained. "I didn't know the players being that I was traded week one. I didn't have any OTAs or camp experience with anybody, but that flow just started to come about."
Among several reasons for staying in the Pacific Northwest, Jones expressed his excitement about schematic changes coming under new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt and associate head coach Sean Desai. While fans will have to wait until September to see what the defense looks like in action, he provided some insight on what type of coverages he expects the team to play.
According to Jones, after speaking with coaches when he arrived to sign his new contract, the scheme coordinated by Hurtt and Desai will feature extensive tight-match Cover 3 looks as well as plenty of man coverage, a significant departure compared to the defense called by former coordinator Ken Norton Jr. Last season, according to TruMedia, the Seahawks ran Cover 1 with man coverage underneath only 13 percent of the time, which ranked 31st in the NFL.
Comparing the scheme to the one he thrived in during college, Jones indicated the schematic changes play to his greatest strengths, positioning him to hit the ground running and pick up where he left off in January. Bringing talented players such as Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs will certainly help him perform at a high level as well.
"What I love about it, I was there to sign my contract, meet the coaches and all that stuff. They explained to me the gist of it and it sounds exactly like my days at Washington," Jones remarked. "Tight match, cover three type stuff, mixed in with other stuff, but that's the generic basis of the defense and basically playing ball, playing ‘man’ and locking your guy down one-on-one. So that's, right in my wheelhouse. I did that for a long time, in college. So, [I'm] excited about that.”
With Reed now in New York after departing in free agency, Jones should be a favorite to start at one of the outside cornerback spots for Seattle. Among those who will compete against him, the team hopes to have Brown back from a lengthy rehab along with newcomer Artie Burns and John Reid. It's possible, if not likely, that at least one cornerback will be added in April's draft, potentially as early as No. 9 overall.
Believing his best football remains in front of him, if Jones can take another big step forward and stay healthy, his presence should ease the transition to a new-look coaching staff deploying a different scheme. Teaming back up with Diggs, Jamal Adams, and company, the secondary could emerge as one of the best in the conference and help keep the Seahawks competitive in the NFC West.
"Everything just started to click and come together. And when I'm like that, I'm at my best, so I believe the future is very bright."
