NEWSLETTER
The Green Bay Packers are parting ways with a once highly touted prospect they drafted three seasons ago:
It's been real Green Bay. The Packers just informed me of my release
— J. Jones (@JoshJones11_) August 25, 2019
Defensive back Josh Jones tweeted that the Packers have let him know their intent to part ways with him.
In one way, it is not much of a surprise that Green Bay has decided to go this route. The Packers spent a fair amount of cash to upgrade their safety room by signing Adrian Amos, then doubled down on draft day when they selected Darnell Savage in the first round. But on the other hand, it comes as a bit of a surprise if you consider Jones’ prospect pedigree.
Jones was one of the top draft-eligible safeties in 2017. In his final year on campus, Jones led North Carolina State with 109 tackles, while also tacking on three interceptions and eight pass breakups along the way. NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah liked Jones enough, saying: “Josh Jones is somebody that can play some corner and also play safety. He tested extremely well. He’s one that will hit you. He’s a real physical football player.” A solid starter with good size (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), speed (ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds), physicality, and the potential to be versatile enough to play multiple spots in the secondary made him a popular prospect on draft weekend. And yet, his performance in the pros has yet to match his potential. Because while there was hope that the North Carolina State product would help fix a woeful secondary when the Packers drafted him, he never took to any position he played in the pros. That left the Packers to release him before the end of his rookie contract.
Part of me wonders if a change of scenery and departure from Packerland would be as good for him as it was for Micah Hyde or Casey Hayward. Which leads me to wonder if the Bears should be interested. For what it’s worth, Chicago is set at the top of the depth chart with Eddie Jackson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Deon Bush has flashed throughout the preseason. Even DeAndre Houston-Carson has a role as a solid special teams contributor. At first blush, there isn’t much room for Jones on the 53-man roster. I suppose Chicago’s front office could look at Jones’ prospect pedigree, size, and athleticism, think the juice might be worth the squeeze, and roll the dice on a division rival’s discarded former prospect. But the Bears have other positions to sort out that are higher on the priority list than reserve safety, so it’s tough to envision a fit in Chicago.
