It was just a matter of time until the Las Vegas Raiders claimed cornerback Jack Jones after the New England Patriots discarded him earlier this week.
Jones has a close relationship with Antonio Pierce, the Raiders’ acting head coach, since Pierce coached Jones while he was a defensive back coach at Arizona State and Long Beach Poly High School. Also, the 2022 fourth-round selection had a fantastic debut campaign the previous year.
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Last season, Jones played in 13 games as a rotational player for New England, recording about 450 defensive snaps despite only getting a few starts. In 2022, he had a 74.7 PFF overall rating and a 76.4 PFF coverage grade in zone coverage, which truly made him stand out.
Due to injuries and off-field problems, Jones hasn’t played much this season and is presumably no longer favored by the New England coaching staff. However, he receives a new beginning in Las Vegas, where he will probably spend the final 2.5 years of his rookie deal.
In order to obtain an understanding of what Jones can offer the Raiders, let’s examine one of his greatest performances from 2022—Week 5 versus the Detroit Lions.
The Lions switch releases the tight end and wide receiver on Jones’ side of the field while the Patriots run Cover 4. This is a fantastic rep for Jones. The defensive back’s ability to communicate is put to the test as the corner must pick up the tight end who is racing down the sideline and pass the receiver to the safety.
After seeing the release, Jones successfully entices quarterback Jared Goff to pass to the tight end by following the receiver for a few steps before cutting him off. Though Jones turns his hips, breaks on the route, and high-points the ball in the air to come down with the pick, Goff believes the tight end will be open for a score. He also receives additional points for his toe-dragging swag and sideline awareness.
