Jaguars roster: Will S Josh Jones remain in Jacksonville in 2021?

Safety was among the Jacksonville Jaguars’ most pressing needs earlier this year. The team’s brass did a good job upgrading the position throughout the offseason, signing Rayshawn Jenkins in free agency, and using a third-round pick on Andre Cisco in this year’s draft. It’s uncertain how many safeties the Jags will carry into the 2021 season but Josh Jones may not make the cut.

A second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2017, Jones showed flashes in his rookie campaign but was later buried on the depth chart. The North Carolina State product requested a trade but was instead released as the Packers couldn’t find a partner. He was then claimed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 and later waived towards the end of the year. The Jags claimed Jones and he went on to start 13 games last season. He appeared in 63 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense and logged 83 total tackles, one interception, and one pass deflection.

In 2020, Jones posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 43.9, the lowest over his four-year career. Also, he ranked 89th out of 94 qualifiers. Nevertheless, the Jags re-signed him this offseason but will now have to compete for playing time and even a roster spot in 2021.

Jones will have a hard time cracking the Jacksonville Jaguars roster.

Jarrod Wilson will most likely start next to Jenkins in Week 1. Daniel Thomas started two games in 2020 and will compete for playing time in the summer. It’s unlikely the Jaguars invested a third-round pick in Cisco just to keep him on the bench, so he could also vie for snaps. That may leave just one spot available if Jacksonville carries five safeties this upcoming season. Jones has started 25 games in his NFL career. That could give him the edge over Andrew Wingard.

Jones snagged an interception during the Jaguars’ organized team activities. If he wants to secure his roster spot in Jacksonville and see the field often in 2021, he will need to continue making plays like that in training camp.

Safety is far from a strength for the Jaguars, but it shouldn’t be a liability either. Jacksonville has upside at the position and possibly not enough roster spots. This could leave Jones as a victim of the numbers game.