Reshad Jones‘ first offseason as a free agent came at a bad time for unattached players with injury issues. The longtime Dolphins safety needs to undergo a neck surgery, but the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted this process.
As a result, the 32-year-old defender is considering ending his career after 10 seasons. The Dolphins released Jones in March. The pandemic has prevented free agents from visiting teams.
“I definitely can play again; I just don’t know if I will,” Jones said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “I had a couple teams call my agent, but I can’t pass a physical right now. So a lot of teams when they call it’s just no point. They find out I have to have surgery.
“So right now, a lot of teams don’t want to talk because I can’t get on the field or pass the physical. But it’s not career-ending. I don’t think it is. The doctor said I can get a surgery and play again. But in Year 10, with all I have accomplished and financially I am set, I have a couple things I have to weigh out.”
Jones said the pandemic, with hospitals being flooded with coronavirus patients, has put his surgery on hold. With barely six weeks remaining until Week 1 is slated to begin, Jones being in this spot may shelve him for the 2020 season anyway. He will turn 33 in February. If he is to come off a neck surgery-induced absence this year, after he missed time because of a chest injury in 2019, returning to the field in 2021 would be difficult.
A former fifth-round pick, Jones once resided as one of the NFL’s best safeties. He scored six defensive touchdowns and made two Pro Bowls. His 113 starts lead all safeties in the Dolphins’ 54-season history.
Hope he has a speedy recovery. Ugly sounding injury.
Certainly one of the more overlooked defensivebacks of the decade. Certainly deserved to play for a contender in his prime. I hope he recovers well and the Dolphins can actually replace him instead of relying on Bobby McCain and the deplorable Eric Rowe
Eric Rowe actually played well at SS for the Dolphins in 2019. No reason to call him deplorable. Jones was a good player but age and injuries have caught up with him, smart move to retire now.
58.2 PFF grade is well below average. I understand that’s not the be-all end-all for assessing player value, but it’s a pretty good guideline
I don’t value PFF grades much, I find them overused and often inaccurate for actually judging the value of a player. I have no idea if they graded him separately for the time when he was playing boundary and when he was playing safety. He struggled on the boundary but most people who have watched games and have broke down the All-22 agree that he played well at SS. I will take the opinions of those people over some grades based solely on some statistical formula.
Jones was a top DB for a solid part of the decade. I know he and Dolphins had disagreements towards the end regarding his role, but in his prime he was a terror in the box who could also create turnovers. It may be unfortunate-sounding due to his injury, but it is almost refreshing to hear a player speak candidly and openly about his decision making process. Jones got a good contract with Miami years ago-from the way it sounds, he was smart with his money and recognizes the rewards he received from his career. Whatever he decides, I hope him the best and am glad that he is able to live comfortably. I hope every NFL player can say and do the same with their careers.