Seahawks Land CB Sidney Jones in Trade With Jaguars

Faced with injuries and underwhelming play from their current group of cornerbacks, the Seahawks have acquired former University of Washington standout Sidney Jones in a trade with the Jaguars.

Less than 24 hours away from the deadline to cut rosters down to 53 players, the Seahawks have made their second trade for a cornerback in as many weeks. In a deal with the Jaguars, they've landed fifth-year man Sidney Jones for a sixth-round pick in 2022. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have traded CB Sidney Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced today.

— JaguarsPR (@JaguarsPR) August 30, 2021

Jones, 25, makes his return to the Pacific Northwest after playing his college ball for the University of Washington. 

Selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the young corner missed nearly the entirety of his rookie season with an achilles injury he suffered at his pro day. He struggled to stay healthy in his second and third years as well, making just eight starts in 21 appearances. In that time, he surrendered a completion percentage of 56.7 and an opponent passer rating of 79.6 with two interceptions, 10 pass deflections and 48 combined tackles.

Coming out of training camp in 2020, Jones was cut by Philadelphia and subsequently signed with Jacksonville's practice squad. He made six starts for the Jags, matching his career total in interceptions up to that point. Pro Football Focus gave him a positive overall grade of 68.1 with a coverage grade of 71.3.

Jones measures in at six-foot, 181 pounds with 311/2-inch arms. He predominantly played on the right side of the field with the Jaguars, registering 184 snaps there compared to 66 on the left side in 2020. For the Eagles, however, he lined up on the left for 237 snaps to just 73 on the right. 

The former Husky now joins a group of cornerbacks that severely underwhelmed in the preseason for the Seahawks. With an open starting job at left corner, neither Ahkello Witherspoon, Tre Brown, nor Damarious Randall impressed. Brown, the team's fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, also missed an entire week of practice and the team's preseason finale against the Chargers with a sore knee last week.

It remains to be seen what the other shoe to drop will be. But some clarity should be given in a short while, with the Seahawks' initial 53-man roster due for submission by 1:00 p.m. PDT Tuesday afternoon.