Jaguars Rookie Reacts to Highlight-Reel Moment

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones is taking the right approach to being involved in Saquon Barkley's jaw-dropping hurdle.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Nobody can say Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones doesn't have perspective.

A week after the first interception of his career, Jones found himself in the middle of someone else's highlight: Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley's, to be exact.

The former top pick and one of the top candidates for this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year honor has made many defenders look foolish on the football field. In Week 9's clash between the Jaguars and the Eagles, Barkley took his talents to another level by breaking two tackles and then performing a backward hurdle over Jones, the Jaguars' third-year rookie.

"He is touched by God. That was a hell of a play. I don't know how he thought about that, but that was a hell of a play," Jones told reporters in Jacksonville's locker room on Wednesday.

"I mean, I mean, but I still watch the play and be like I don't know how the hell he thought about that."

Jones' positive attitude is admirable, with the rookie cornerback finding peace in the play. At the end of the day, it isn't like Jones did anything necessarily wrong on the play. Barkley was just one of one.

"I mean, it ain't really too much you can do. I feel like anybody that really got something to say about it, I would love for them to tell me exactly what they would have did," Jones said.

"I got a lot of respect for him. I mean, that's the first time that's ever been done in history. I mean, he kind of hurdled me backwards, you know. So, I mean, I got a lot of you know, same respect for him, because I don't think nobody else in the league can actually make that play and successfully hurdle me. It ain't like I went low or nothing like that, like I was standing up tall, and he's still hurdled me."

As for Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, he simply sees the marveling play as a lesson for everyone moving forward.

"Part of the game is part of the corrections. The fact that it was backwards is just the way he jumped and turned his body. It just happened that way," Pederson said.

"You see it every week, guys leaping over defenders and stuff like that. You show it as normal, and the key would have been to tackle him the first time. But no, it's just a great play by a great running back.”

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