Jones has been placed on the I.R. and won’t be seen again until 2017.
Jones is a cornerstone of the Miami Defense, so can the secondary survive?
Reshad Jones is irreplaceable. But Jones is being replaced nonetheless as he has a torn Rotator Cuff and won’t be back until 2017. There’s now way Miami Dolphins will be able to find a player from this squad to be his equal — no way. So let’s clear that up and move on to what can be done.
First, Isa Abdul-Quddus was signed in the off season and will “replace” Jones as the leader of the Safety unit. While, he isn’t of Jones’ caliber, he is the second best Safety on the squad. So far Quddus and Jones comparison looks like this: Quddus 31 Tackles and 2 Picks and 3 Pass Defenses, and Jones 51 Tackles 0.5 Sacks 1 Int. and 4 Pass Defenses.
It’s not like trash is stepping into the leadership role. But, it’s also not like a clone is stepping in either.
The Dolphins have been running a “mirror scheme” at Safety where both Safety spots are interchangeable. Most teams don’t run this as they don’t possess the personnel. Most team have a scheme where they use a “cover guy” at Free Safety and a “run stopper” at Strong Safety.
Dolphins will likely go away from the “mirror scheme” and move towards a role player / assignment scheme of the FS and SS.
This isn’t the end of the world, but it does limit options and makes teams have an easier time in their game-planning and QB’s diagnosing the defensive alignment, drops and coverage.
Jones’ loss hurts on many fronts: talent, leadership and depth.
The main issue is, beyond the loss of a star and leader, the lack of depth and the fact that Walt Aikens will have a more prominent role. This isn’t something that pay per head software fans aren’t too high on. He was already deactivated for missing meetings and hasn’t had much production or starting experience. So he’s not even close to dependable quantity if his number is called to hold down the spot for long stretches.
It’s a big blow, but I wouldn’t say devastating due to Qaddus and the possible bolstering of Chris Culliver’s arrival. This Sunday will give a better indication of how much impact Jones’ loss will be to the defense. Hopefully, the signing of Qaddus pays big dividends — and he and Thomas stay healthy. Go Fins!!!
