Byron Jones has not practiced with the Dolphins this year. As a result, the team will not have one of its highly paid cornerbacks until at least October.
The Dolphins are moving Jones to the reserve/PUP list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Jones, who is coming off ankle surgery, will not be eligible to play until Week 5. This has become a concern for the Dolphins, as Jones’ surgery occurred back in early March.
This surgery also addressed Jones’ Achilles, but growing concern emerged early during the veteran cover man’s stay on Miami’s active/PUP list during training camp. Jones, who will turn 30 in September, reworked his lucrative contract this offseason. That adjustment locked in the former Cowboy’s $14MM-plus salary for 2022.
But the operation Jones underwent was supposed to have him ready well before camp. That timetable being thrown off will leave the Dolphins shorthanded at corner. While Xavien Howard represents a strong No. 1 option on his own, the Dolphins’ cornerback plan has already not taken shape because of 2020 first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene‘s failure to become a consistent option. The team kept Nik Needham via second-round RFA tender this offseason, however. Miami signed Mackensie Alexander but placed him on IR soon after.
Jones has been with the Dolphins since 2020, when the former Dallas safety signed a then-record $16.5MM-per-year deal in free agency. The Dolphins guaranteed Jones $40MM. Although the former first-round pick has not produced on the level of Howard, which created a separate issue last year, Jones has been durable previously. The UConn product has only missed two games as a Dolphin. If the team is fortunate, Jones will only double that this season. But it is too early to tell when he will be able to return.
Smart on his part… you can’t get embarrassed by Josh Allen and the Bills if you hide out on the PUP.