Jacksonville Jaguars CB room takes shape, trade Sidney Jones to Seattle

Before the 2021 NFL Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said the team felt like they had four starting cornerbacks. On Monday evening, the Jags traded one of them to the Seattle Seahawks.

The team announced they traded cornerback Sidney Jones to the Hawks. Just like every other NFL team, they need to cut down their roster to 53 players by 4:00 EDT on August 31. Trading Jones helps them get to that number. They also announced they activated EDGE rusher Josh Allen from the COVID-19/Reserve list and waived undrafted free agent Cory Straughter.

A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Jones was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles before the start of the 2020 season. He promptly landed in Jacksonville and quickly became a key cog in their secondary. The Washington product was enjoying a career revival before suffering an Achilles injury. He appeared in nine games with six starts and logged 26 total tackles, one forced fumble, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions.

Jones was one of the top cornerback prospects ahead of 2017’s selection meeting but tore his Achilles during Washington’s Pro Day. He’s dealt with injuries throughout his NFL career but managed to stay healthy this offseason. Not long after the Jaguars announced the trade, the cornerback thanked them on social media.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback room is taking shape.

Jones was set to become a free agent earlier this year but the Jaguars re-signed him. The team’s brass revamped the position this offseason, signing Shaquill Griffin in free agency and taking Tyson Campbell in Round 2 of the draft.

One look at the Jaguars’ cornerback room shows they’re in good shape after trading Jones. That wasn’t the case last season, with C.J. Henderson, D.J. Hayden, and Jones — the top three corners on the depth chart —missing time with injuries. In fact, the Jags’ depth at the position was tasted not long ago. Henderson was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list and missed a good chunk of training camp. Campbell took advantage of the opportunity and saw a significant amount of time with the first team.

Herdon is currently nursing an MCL injury and is week to week but the Jones trade could be a sign that the team believes he will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see who makes the 53-man roster. Henderson, Griffin, Herndon, and Campbell are at the top of the depth chart. If the Jaguars decide to carry ‘only’ five cornerbacks, the last spot, the one that was originally going to go to Jones, could go to sophomore Chris Claybrooks.

A seventh-round selection in 2020’s draft, Claybrooks played 15 snaps and posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 72.4 in Week 3 of the preseason. He has added value as a returner and trading Jones to Seattle could increase his odds of making the team. The Jacksonville Jaguars continue making moves ahead of the deadline to get to 53 players but it looks like their cornerback room is already set. Make sure you visit B&T frequently to stay up to date with every move the Jags made.