Sidney Jones trade grades: Seahawks make a deal with Jaguars for young cornerback

The night before cut down day, the Seattle Seahawks made another trade to acquire help in the secondary. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jacksonville Jaguars sent cornerback Sidney Jones to the Seahawks in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Jones is the second cornerback the Seahawks have traded for in the past week, as the Houston Texans shipped John Reid to Seattle for a conditional seventh-rounder. The Seahawks are clearly trying to beef up their cornerback room before the start of the regular season, as they had the second-worst pass defense in the NFL last year. Jones is a player who has dealt with several injuries over his short career, but did have a decent showing last year that could potentially be a sign of things to come.

So, who won this trade? There’s no such thing as a meaningless transaction in the NFL, so let’s attempt to grade this deal.

Seahawks: B-

Jones has history in the state of Washington, as he was a First Team All-Pac-12 player with the Huskies. His professional career hasn’t been as glorious, however, as he suffered an Achilles injury at his Pro Day that hurt his development in a big way. Still, in nine games with the Jaguars last year he appeared to get back on track a bit with 26 combined tackles, a career-high nine passes defended and two interceptions. 

Jones has never played a full 16 games but is still just 25 years old and has some starting experience. Bringing him back to the Great Northwest seems like the perfect place where he can get his career back on the right path. The Seahawks needed more talent at the cornerback position and I like this flier.

Jaguars: B

Let’s not beat around the bush. What this deal hinges on is the health of Jones. If he struggles to stay healthy yet again, then the Jaguars clearly win this deal. After being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft and playing just one game in his rookie season, a hamstring issue hampered Jones over his next two seasons. So much so that he was released by the Eagles before the start of the 2020 campaign. Jones was even injured in his “breakout” season for lack of a better descriptor. 

The Jaguars have CJ Henderson back healthy and then acquired former Seahawk Shaquill Griffin in free agency. Jones was going to be a depth player — and the Jaguars have some young talent at the position. Plus, acquiring a sixth-round pick is better than a seventh-round pick.