Amidst a trying season for the Miami Dolphins, an unsung hero has emerged. He may not have been what the team has expected, but her certainly has exceeded all expectations.
The Miami secondary has been much maligned all year long, but cornerback Jack Jones’ emergence has proven to be timely amidst a recent three game stretch. Against the Commanders, he showcased his importance with a game sealing interception in overtime. Still, amidst some uncertainty around how the Dolphins will look in a years time, the question of Jack Jones’ future remains unanswered.
Jones’ development stems from an aggressive mindset for all Miami defensive backs: play with aggression around the line of scrimmage and disrupt the timing of opposing wide receivers. At first, it looked as if Jones was going to be tested through trial by fire and the first six weeks of the season highlighted his struggles. If you look at his stats now though, they have drastically improved. From Weeks 6-11, he allowed only a 61.5 passer rating in coverage compared to the first six weeks, where he allowed a rating of 115.8. His completion percentage allowed numbers also dropped from 58.8 to 56.3. The crazy part is there has been no change in the number of snap’s he gotten or the volume of targets he’s seen over both periods. It’s just that the yield has changed as Jones has gotten better.
Jones has had a very complex career to begin with. He was recently waived by the Patriots after two years and was cut fron the Raiders after 24 games for conduct violations. Perhaps a change of scenery really helped him grow into the player he has become for Miami. On an appearance with the Pat Mcafee Show for example, he was quick to praise the culture and head coach Mike Mcdaniel. Unfortunately for him, it’s because of Mcdaniel that his future status as a Dolphin has grown to be uncertain.
The only way to truly know the likelihood of Mcdaniel’s return is if the Dolphins continue to perform well for him and prove they haven’t thrown the towel in. For a player like Jack Jones especially, it’s more about proving himself to anyone who could be a part of the organization, including a new general manager. Ultimately, the new GM will decide whether or not Jones warrants a contract extension no matter if Mcdaniel stays or not. The best case scenario is that the Fins ride out the season with Mcdaniel and then analyze the state of the team from there. Most importantly, it will make Jones’ importance felt even more should he continue to play a pivotal part in their success. It should be paramount that Miami is in a place to get Jones the best deal they can possibly give him, because the bottom line is continuity could be integral for the future of this team. Even if Mcdaniel leaves, Jack Jones has proven to be a valuable asset you just can’t deny.
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