Miami Dolphins safety Brandon Jones, who last played during Week 7 of the 2022 season, is on track to practice this week with the team.
It’s a major step forward for the 25-year-old as he enters his fourth NFL season.
“Starting S Brandon Jones, who suffered his injury (left ACL) during a Week 7 game last season against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, is expected to be on the field practicing with his teammates this week, a league source said, and could be on the field as early as Wednesday when the team has its first practice, barring an unforeseen setback,” wrote NFL insider Adam Caplan.
Jones’ ACL injury cost him a majority of his third season in the league. Before the injury ended his season, he accumulated three passes defended, a forced fumble, two sacks and 49 combined tackles across seven games.
The Dolphins evidently have a lot of confidence in the former third-round pick, as they reportedly didn’t offer big money to any safeties in free agency due to how they feel about Jones.
The Texas native has been making progress with his recovery throughout the offseason and now seems to be in really good shape as the end of July approaches. Dolphins veterans are set to report to training camp on Tuesday.
Dolphins fans got a pretty good look at Jones during the 2021 season, when he appeared in 15 games and started 13. He tallied one interception, one pass defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had five sacks, 79 combined tackles, six tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits.
Miami’s defense took a step back last season and allowed 23.5 points per game. With Vic Fangio now in the mix and the Dolphins set to get some key players back from injury, the 2023 season could feature a big turnaround for Miami on the defensive side of the ball.
It also helps that newcomers like Jalen Ramsey are now in South Florida.
The Dolphins don’t have an easy schedule this season, and they’re stuck in perhaps the toughest division in the entire NFL, but that’s not going to stop them from trying to claim their second playoff bid in as many years.
Miami’s 2022 campaign was a step in the right direction, but the team still has tons of boxes to check, including winning a playoff game for the first time in over two decades.
