Yesterday was a sad day for me as a fan of the Miami Dolphins as the team placed Reshad Jones on injured reserve ending his 2019 season. He has only played in 4 games this year as he has battled a cracked rib and he finally got on the field Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but the reality is Jones is one of the few players left on this team from a year ago and his contract is near the end to where the team could release him with not a great deal of dead money tied to the salary cap. Jones has played hurt the last few years with shoulder injuries and this latest rib injury. Jones has been through all of the regime changes of the last decade and has had his contract extended twice since being drafted in the 5th round in 2010. However, with the team in full rebuild mode, Jones’ injuries and bloated contract one has to wonder if last Sunday was his last game.
Jones developed into a fine safety since being drafted in 2010 and was a play maker. If the ball was in his area, he always would make a big play. He has been through it all with the Dolphins unfortunately he never made the playoffs with the team. I know the team made the playoffs in 2016, but Jones wasn’t on the field due to a shoulder injury that cut his season short. Jones has been a player the Dolphins could count on with the game on the line and he made his fair share of plays. Some call Jones a freelancer which made the team susceptible to big plays, but Jones always made his fair share of plays. If there was a bad play given up, he always moved on to the next play and made it count. The Dolphins have had some poor draft choices over the past 2 decades, but Jones has been one of their finest players they drafted. If this was his last game with the team, I’ll always remember the big plays he made and how he gutted through the injuries he had to try to help the team win.
As the Dolphins continue to go through their rebuilding process and continue to churn the roster, we should remember Jones for the player he has been for the Dolphins the past decade. I hope he continues to play for the Dolphins for the last 2 years of his contract, but the reality is he is 31 years old going to be 32 the team will probably move on in another direction. Injuries and salary will also play a role as always. I hope I am wrong, but I think we saw the last of Jones and I will always remember him for the 10 years he played and put it all on the line for the team.
