Sidney Jones relishing continued opportunity with Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. - Sidney Jones was on track to becoming a first round draft pick in the NFL after a stellar college career at the University of Washington. But an Achilles tear during a pre-draft workout in 2017 set him back and derailed the first several years of his professional career.

Now back in Seattle with the Seahawks, Jones is looking to build upon a strong 2021 campaign.

"Getting an opportunity to play, getting an opportunity to continue to grow and get better is huge and I'm looking forward to continue that this year," Jones said.

A two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection, Jones was projected as a top pick heading into the NFL Draft.

But a fateful moment on March 11, 2017 not only derailed his draft stock, but helped to keep Jones from reaching his potential through his first several years in the NFL.

Jones was going through drills at his pro day workouts for NFL scouts inside the Dempsey Indoor Center at UW when his left Achilles popped during a drill. As Jones was working in a backpedal, he planted and pushed off with his left foot as he spun and the tendon gave way as Jones tumbled to the turf.

The Philadelphia Eagles ultimately selected Jones in the second round of the NFL Draft and understood there would be some issues recovering from such a significant injury. An Achilles tear can take 9-12 months to fully heal. But while the Achilles did heal, other injury issues surfaced as he tried to regain his form.

Jones played in just one game as a rookie in Philadelphia. Multiple hamstring injuries kept him from remaining in the lineup for long stretches. His play suffered as he tried to push through the injuries as well. He'd ultimately play in just 22 career games with the Eagles with only eight starts before being released at the end of training camp in 2020.

"Very, very frustrating," Jones said. "I can't even too much describe because I've never really had injuries before that. That was my first injury and then you have the Achilles and 'OK, I can bounce back from this' but you don't get hit with the harsh reality of having to figure everything else out because your body had to readjust and recalibrate from there, and you had to figure yourself out and that was a process and took longer than I wanted."

Jones signed with the Jaguars practice squad in September and was promoted to their active roster by October. He played in nine games for Jacksonville with six starts and began to feel like he was finally turning the corner and finding the form he'd always believed existed.

"This journey started when I was in Jacksonville in 2020," Jones said. "Played some good football there. I know I was still under the radar being that it was Jacksonville, didn't get too much recognition. But I had one of my best years there after being let go from Philly. And then I think that just catapulted my career to the following year."

As the Seahawks were desperate for cornerback help last August, they acquired Jones in a trade with the Jaguars to bring him back to Seattle. While Jones was happy to come back to his "second home," the trade was still jarring.

"It was good news, but in the moment you're kind of shocked," he said. "It comes out of nowhere. I remember I was at dinner. We just finished our last preseason game, camp is over so went to a nice steak dinner to celebrate and the G.M. (Trent Baalke) calls and gives me the news. I'm like 'what?' So we just had to pretty much pack up. I had to leave dinner early, pack up the house and head out. 

"But besides that, it's been great and amazing."

The Seahawks traded Ahkello Witherspoon to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent signing gone awry. Tre Flowers would soon lose his starting job opposite D.J. Reed and an opportunity formed for Jones to return to a starting lineup. He would appear in a career-high 16 games for the Seahawks last year with 11 starts. His 10 passes defended were tied with Reed for most on the team.

"Sidney is such a smart football player, so savvy," head coach Pete Carroll said. "He gives you a lot of confidence when he’s out there. He knows what’s going on. He knows the game. He communicates well with what’s happening and all. I feel secure with his ability to play."

Jones proved himself as a capable piece for the Seahawks last season. He was re-signed in March to a one-year deal and had been running as the top cornerback in training camp for Seattle until a concussion in practice forced him to miss the last two weeks.

"Now that he has showed us that he knows what is going on, knows how we want to play him, and how it fits in the scheme, now we are really trying to draw to his strengths and allow him to fit in," Carroll said. "The way we coach him up and the way we play him, not everybody has to be exactly the same is what I’m saying. Sid has his way and he’s going to be a hard guy to move because he is so sharp, is on it, and you can really count on him."

Jones has been a fixture on the left side with free agent addition Artie Burns on the right. With both Jones and Burns (groin) sidelined with injuries, rookies Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen, and Michael Jackson have picked up the work with the first-team defense through the first two preseason games.

Jones was able to prove last year that he can be the starting cornerback he had been believed to have been coming out of Washington. Now it's about elevating his game even further and making the most of the opportunity at hand.

"Everything is falling in line," Jones said. "I'm just here to dominate, compete, get better, challenge myself, whatever. You know, nobody's perfect. So there's days where you're not perfect and you try to look at the film and correct those mistakes and just continue that growth and get better. Just try to be perfect. You try to reach perfection. And that's that's the goal. Now I'm comfortable. I know everything and I know how to work, compete and do everything. It's the details. How perfect can I be? How great can I be? How much can I push myself?

"The Seahawks are my dream team and it's just surreal to still be playing here."