Steph Chambers/Getty Images Sidney Jones of the Seattle Seahawks defends a pass intended for Kevin White of the New Orleans Saints on October 25, 2021.
After the Baltimore Ravens allowed Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to throw for 469 yards and six touchdowns on Sunday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh felt compelled to explain what went wrong on the long touchdown passes that allowed the Dolphins to erase a 35-14 deficit en route to a 42-38 win. It’s the fifth time since Week 1 of last season that the Ravens have allowed 400 yards or more through the air, making them the only team to have allowed 400-plus yards more than once in that time frame.
Of course, injuries have played a pivotal role in the defensive lapses, as was the case on Sunday, when the Ravens had to rely on a trio of rookie defensive backs to (try to) close out the game. That helps explain why Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report is urging the Ravens to acquire sixth-year cornerback Sidney Jones IV from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2023 5th-round pick, though his trade history suggests he might be acquired for less.
The Rationale Behind the Sidney Jones Trade Proposal
“While the Ravens have cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters after both missed time in 2021 … they’ve lost Kyle Fuller for the year to a torn ACL. As Sunday’s result shows, Baltimore’s cornerback depth is still questionable,” writes Knox.
That said, “(i)t would behoove the Ravens to trade for a starting-caliber corner, and Sidney Jones IV seems like a prime candidate,” adds Knox, arguing that the Seahawks don’t appear to be a playoff contender, especially after this weekend’s 27-7 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Jones is playing on a one-year, $3.6 million deal (with a $1.62 million salary, as per Spotrac.com), and if the Seahawks aren’t going to contend, moving that salary would be logical. The Ravens, who have $4.7 million in cap space remaining, could take (on the contract) while bolstering their depth in the secondary,” concludes Knox.
Sidney Jones IV is a Former 2nd-Round Pick
If the Ravens did make such a trade, they would be getting a 2017 2nd-round pick who won a Super Bowl during his rookie year with the Eagles. The 26-year-old California native played for three years in Philadelphia before getting waived by the Eagles in Sept. 2020. But he soon caught on with Jacksonville and appeared in nine games (with six starts) for the Jaguars in 2021, before the Jags traded him to Seattle on Aug. 31, 2021, in exchange for a 2022 6th-round pick.
Jones went on play in 16 games (with 11 starts) for the Seahawks in 2021, “allow(ing) an opposing passer rating of only 84.3 in coverage last season,” as noted by Knox. And for what it’s worth, he earned a 70.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2021, and has a 77.2 grade thus far in 2022.
All told, Jones — who is 6-feet-tall and listed at 186 pounds — has 48 games of regular-season experience, including 25 starts. He has been credited with 143 total tackles (109 solo), plus four interceptions, 29 passes defensed, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble, according to Pro Football Reference. During his 40-game college career with the Washington Huskies he intercepted nine passes.