Seahawks Urged to Trade Former Super Bowl Champion Defender

Getty One NFL writer is calling for Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks to trade a former Super Bowl champion off their roster.

In the NFL, one team’s trash can easily be another’s treasure. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox argued that could be the case for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Sidney Jones IV.

Jones has played just two games and only 34 defensive snaps this season. In 2021, he played a career-high 16 games and 728 defensive snaps.

With that in mind, Knox included Jones on his NFL trade block heading into Week 6.

“If Seattle isn’t going to utilize Jones, another team could,” wrote Knox.

“Jones was an 11-game starter last season and allowed an opposing passer rating of only 84.3 in coverage. He’s playing on a reasonable one-year, $3.6 million deal that should be easy enough for Seattle to move. Good cornerbacks at fair price points typically aren’t easy to find at the trade deadline.”

Jones Falling Out of Favor in Seattle?

The 26-year-old cornerback experienced lingering concussion symptoms during training camp and the preseason. Knox speculated that that is the reason why he’s moved down the Seahawks defensive depth chart.

But Jones returned for Week 1 to play 12 snaps on defense during Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. He recorded 1 solo tackle in the contest.

Over the last four weeks, though, Jones has been inactive twice and not played in a third game. The only time he’s played since Week 1 was when he lined up for 22 defensive snaps and 1 special teams snap in Week 4 versus the Detroit Lions.

Rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen appears to be a budding star and leads the team with 3 interceptions, but other than that, it’s not like the Seahawks cornerbacks ahead of Jones on the depth chart are shining particularly well. Seattle is last in the league in net passing yards allowed per attempt by a wide margin. The Seahawks have yielded 8.2 net passing yards per attempt while the Miami Dolphins are second-to-last with 7.5 net passing yards allowed per pass.

If Seattle was going to work Jones back into a role on defense, it probably already would have happened or will occur very soon. Should it not happen, the Seahawks could look to recoup a draft pick for him.

Possible Trade Destinations for Jones

Knox proposed two teams as “best fits” for Jones — the Lions and Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore has struggled against the pass since the start of the 2021 season. Like last season, the Ravens have given up the most yards through the air in 2022. They’ve also given up 9 passing touchdowns.

“The Baltimore Ravens should put in a call to Seattle immediately,” Knox wrote. “While Baltimore’s pass defense fared better against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 (190 yards allowed), it still ranks dead last in the NFL.

“Baltimore has also allowed an average of 6.5 net yards per pass attempt this season.”

The Lions are another possibility because of how poorly they have done in pass defense. Detroit is 27th in passing yards allowed and 30th in net passing yards allowed per attempt.

Baltimore sits at 3-2 and in first place of the AFC North. The Ravens are in playoff position despite having given up double-digit leads at home three times this season. With their playoff-caliber offense, the Ravens are a team that are very likely to give up a draft pick to improve their defense.

But Detroit owns a 1-4 record and is in last place of the NFC North. The Lions may have to win a couple games during October to be buyers before the trade deadline.