Sidney Jones, from Seahawks starting CB to inactive for Falcons game behind 2 new starters
Sidney Jones has gone from starting Seahawks cornerback to concussed to back healthy but a frustrated backup — and now a healthy scratch for games.
Seattle made the former University of Washington standout inactive for the Seahawks’ home game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. That was a couple of days after coach Pete Carroll said Jones wasn’t happy with being recovered from his concussion in early August yet losing his job to Michael Jackson and rookie Tariq Woolen.
Jackson and Woolen made their third consecutive starts on Sunday to begin this season.
“Sid is back and ready to go. He’s sitting in the third spot ready to jump in there,” Carroll said Wednesday. “The guys have just done well and we’re just pushing those guys to see how long they can keep rolling. And Sid is ready to go. He’s frustrated about that.
“It’s just the way it is right now. Mike has done a really nice job, and Tariq has done a really nice job starting out. I think they’re going to continue and get better. But he’s ready to go.”
Ready, but not worthy of suiting up Sunday.
Jones was wearing a protective foam padding over his helmet at the start of the team’s practice Thursday.
As for Jackson and Woolen, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said on the team’s pregame radio show Sunday: “No question, those two young guys compete their tails off.”
But the GM quickly added two other new cornerbacks emerging to press for opportunities: practice-squad player Xavier Crawford and recently signed Isaiah Dunn.
Crawford was elevated from the practice squad to play for the second consecutive game. Dunn, waived by the New York Jets last month, was active for the game. He was listed as the backup to Woolen at right cornerback on the team’s unofficial depth chart.
“He’s had a real nice couple weeks here,” Schneider said Sunday of Dunn.
The Seahawks’ other inactive players for the Falcons game: cornerback Artie Burns, who also recently returned from injury, nickel defensive back Justin Coleman (calf), starting defensive end Shelby Harris (gluteus muscle plus away from the team all week tending to a family matter), safety Joey Blunt (hamstring), offensive lineman Jake Curhan and rookie wide receiver Dareke Young.
Coleman missing his second consecutive game meant rookie Coby Bryant again was Seattle’s primary fifth, nickel cornerback against Atlanta’s slot receivers — and, maybe, the Falcons’ running game. Bryant played 66% of the Seahawks’ defensive snaps the previous week when San Francisco ran 45 times for 189 yards on Seattle.
Harris has been away from the team the entire past week. Carroll said Friday he didn’t know when the veteran Seattle acquired from Denver in March in the Russell Wilson trade would rejoin the Seahawks.
Quinton Jefferson, Bryan Mone and newcomer Darryl Johnson were likely to get more time on the defensive front with Harris gone from it.
This story was originally published September 25, 2022 at 12:24 PM.
