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Cornerback is one spot that threatens to undermine the 4-2 Washington Commanders, despite a prolific offense accelerating their rebuild. General manager Adam Peters can solve the problem before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 5, with a deal for New England Patriots veteran Jonathan Jones.
It’s an idea put forward by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. He rates Jones as “easily the Patriots’ most accomplished cornerback.”
Despite his credentials, Jones also qualifies as a “logical trade chip” because he’s 31 and set to be a free agent in 2025. Benjamin believes although nine-year pro Jones has “been more solid than spectacular for years, his experience could be invaluable to Washington, which has a potential playoff contender thanks to rookie Jayden Daniels but has struggled mightily on the back end of Dan Quinn’s defense.”
Jones’ toughness and savvy could be acquired for as little as a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, according to Benjamin’s scenario.
Jonathan Jones Trade Makes Sense for Commanders
There’s plenty to recommend the Commanders foregoing late-round draft capital to deal for Jones. He’s been well-schooled in New England, playing a system featuring plenty of man coverage.
The Patriots have trusted Jones against some of the toughest matchups in football. Like when he covered eight-time Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill six times from 2018-22.
As MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels detailed, “In those games, Hill has seven catches on 16 targets for 88 yards against Jones.”
Today, the Pats are more likely to leave 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez on an opponent’s best receiver. There’s irony here for the Commanders, who selected Emmanuel Forbes Jr. one pick before Gonzalez a year ago.
The decision has defined Washington’s issues at cornerback since.
Commanders Have Growing Problems at Cornerback
Forbes being a healthy scratch for Week 6’s game against the Baltimore Ravens merely continued his tough time adapting to the pros. The 180-pound former Mississippi State standout has struggled to stand up to physical receivers amid concerns about his own frame.
Peters attempted to put a positive spin on Forbes’ progress, but the fact he’s not getting on the field at a position of weakness proves size isn’t his only problem. Not when Jones is only 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, but far more tenacious.
A good example of his appetite for the physical side of the game occurred when Jones made this downhill tackle to thwart the Cincinnati Bengals on fourth down in Week 1. He “traveled 17.9 yards at a max speed of 15.9 MPH to make this stop. Good football player,” per Patriots.com staff writer Evan Lazar.
Jones would add the aggression and industry veteran Michael Davis was supposed to bring to Washington’s defense. Unfortunately, the former Los Angeles Chargers starter played just two snaps on that side of the ball against the Ravens, per Pro Football Reference.
Given how the 1-5 Patriots are having a harder time rebuilding at the same pace as the Commanders, Peters should make a call about Jones. He’d instantly become the headline act of a position group failing to hold up in any kind of coverage week to week.
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