Josh Jones is ready to fill in for Kentrell Brice for however long the strong safety is out. But Jones is rooting for his teammate’s return.
“Oh, man. That was bad, man,” Jones said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “You hate to see that, especially as a player. That’s your brother. You don’t like to see an injury, period. I don’t care who it is -- other teams, teammate, whatever. Everybody’s got a family to feed; everybody’s playing for something. You hate to see that.”
Brice was the leading candidate to replace Morgan Burnett after Burnett signed with the Steelers in free agency. But he was carted off with a leg injury Monday.
Brice missed the last nine games of 2017 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament in his right ankle.
Jones, a second-round pick in 2017, started seven games and made one interception and five pass breakups as a rookie.
“Next man up,” Jones said, via Ryan Wood of USA Today Network. “That’s the mentality I feel like in all sports. You hate to see that. You hate to see one of your teammates go down, man, but the next guy should be prepared. That’s why you prepare. When it’s your time to be called upon, you’re ready.”