Despite tearing his Achilles during his pro day, an injury many figured equalled an automatic redshirt season, Sidney Jones plans to make an impact for someone this year.
The University of Washington cornerback told Matt Bowen of ESPN.com that he plans to be back on the field sooner than people anticipate, after the March 12 injury.
“I’m going to be back on the field in six months, . . . I’ll be ready to play,” Jones said. “The doctor said I’ll be running in four months. From there, it’s just getting my strength back. I’ll for sure be playing this season in my mind.”
Expected to be a first-round pick before the injury (but part of a deep class of corners), Jones’ stock will certainly be downgraded because of the injury, so you can’t blame him for telling teams he won’t really miss that much time. His agent said the six-month window was a worst case scenario, and that doctors told them he could be playing “by the end of October at the latest.”
That could still mean he opens the season on the physically unable to perform list, but that’s still better than many imagined.
His surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, who also worked on Terrell Suggs in 2012. Suggs was back in less than six months from his torn Achilles.
“A lot of people have come back from this injury and played at a high level,” Jones said. “I don’t think I’ll be much different, knowing my mindset, my drive for this game and wanting to get back.”
Now he also has a financial incentive for convincing teams he’s healthy, as well.