Youth Movement, Improved Depth at Cornerback Led to Sidney Jones' Departure From Seahawks

Life comes at you fast in the NFL. After being waived by the Seahawks on Tuesday, veteran cornerback Sidney Jones learned that lesson the hard way.

Nearly a year ago, Jones slid into Seattle's starting lineup replacing Tre Brown after the rookie suffered a season-ending knee injury. Finally healthy after battling multiple injuries of his own early in his NFL career in Philadelphia and Jacksonville, the former Washington standout thrived in his return to the Pacific Northwest, stacking up favorably against the best corners in the league over the final seven weeks of the season.

After returning to the starting lineup across from D.J. Reed, Jones allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 58.3 percent of their passes against him and didn't surrender a single touchdown in his final six games. Per Pro Football Focus, the former second-round pick posted a 71.2 passer rating when targeted, the fourth-best among corners with 225 or more coverage snaps in that span, along with yielding less than 8.5 yards per reception.

Previously not well-regarded for his tackling ability, Jones also made major strides as a run defender and bringing down ball carriers after the catch, producing a career-best 66 tackles and regularly blowing up screen plays on the outside.

As a result of Jones' successful finish, the Seahawks re-signed him on a one-year, $3.6 million deal in March. With Reed fleeing to join the Jets in free agency and Brown facing a lengthy rehab after having his patellar tendon repaired, the 26-year old looked poised to enter the 2022 season as one of the team's two starting cornerbacks in the secondary.

However, despite beginning training camp in July receiving all of Seattle's first-team reps, Jones eventually started to lose playing time to Mike Jackson, who turned heads throughout camp. Then, he suffered a concussion that prevented him from playing at all in the preseason, allowing Jackson to seize the starting job on the left side. Meanwhile, rookie sensation Tariq Woolen capitalized on fellow veteran Artie Burns going down with a hamstring strain and after a strong preseason, he earned the starting job on the right side.

Since then, the speedy 6-foot-4 Woolen has taken a turn towards stardom as a rookie, as 'Riq the Freak currently leads the NFL with four interceptions and has surfaced as an early favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Per PFF, he ranks fifth among qualified corners with quarterbacks posting a subpar 50.2 passer rating when targeting him and has only allowed one touchdown in coverage all season.

On the opposite side, Jackson has performed at a high level as well, bringing physicality and reliability to Seattle's secondary in coverage and defending the run. While he has dropped a few potential interceptions along the way, he ranks eighth among cornerbacks with six pass breakups thus far this year and like Woolen, he has only allowed one touchdown to go with a 53.7 percent completion rate when targeted.

With Woolen and Jackson entrenched in the lineup as starters and continuing to improve by week, even after Jones returned to health, he was largely kept in moth balls and only dressed for three of Seattle's first eight games. Rotating in with Jackson on the left side in those three games, he played only 45 defensive snaps, registering five tackles and allowing three catches for 32 yards on five targets. He also played only one special teams snap, which hurt his value in a reserve role.

Given the lack of playing time, Jones became a subject of trade rumors in recent weeks and the Seahawks likely rotated him in with Jackson for three games with the primary objective of increasing his stock for teams desperate for cornerback help. Since having those auditions, while he was listed on the injury report with a groin injury, he has been held out the past two weeks to keep him healthy with hopes of dealing him for a late round pick.

Unfortunately, no takers emerged willing to give up a draft pick to acquire Jones and with Brown on the verge of being activated from the PUP list after returning to practice last week, he became the odd man out in a young, talented, crowded cornerback group. As a result, he was waived to create a spot on the 53-man roster shortly after the 1 PM PT deadline passed.

When asked about Jones' release prior to Wednesday's practice, coach Pete Carroll didn't talk specifically about his now-former player and the circumstances of his release, but he made it clear he's ecstatic about the depth the Seahawks have amassed at cornerback with Brown and special teams contributor Isaiah Dunn both set to return soon behind Woolen, Jackson, rookie Coby Bryant, and Burns. For that reason alone, parting ways with the veteran became inevitable.

"Tre Brown will be practicing full go this week. I think we're only a week from Isaiah coming back also. And we have Artie [Burns] ready to go, primed and ready. We have real good depth right now and maybe better than we have had. That's why we are where we are right now."