Reshad Jones, back in 2020?

With the placement of veterans Bobby McCain and Reshad Jones on IR, speculation as to their futures on the Miami Dolphins has begun.  As for Bobby McCain, his future here is not clear, and he is under contract till 2022 when he will be 29 years old. On Reshad Jones however, the writing has been on the wall for a while, that he does not figure in future plans, and would surely be cut before the 2020 season kicks off.

First of all, I consulted with one-third of the Three Yards Per Carry Podcast, Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot), to explain the machinations of Reshad’s 2020 contract:

“Only $2.1 of Reshad’s 2020 salary is guaranteed. If he’s working anywhere next year, I’d expect that fully offset. So cutting him will definitely save $9.5 million cash owed and probably save the full $11.6 million. The accounting number saved (i.e. ‘cap figure’) will be a little bit less than the above (probably about $8 million) but that doesn’t matter as much because the Dolphins have far more accounting space in 2020 than they could possibly use, thus what matters for the long term health of the team’s salary cap standing is the savings on new cash owed.”

Well, that clears some things up.  So where is the player in all this?  Back in September, Reshad Jones told the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson that he wanted to stay here for the “long haul”, through this rebuild:

The latest from @flasportsbuzz: Dolphins’ Reshad Jones explains why he wants to stay. And Rosen sees silver lining https://t.co/rpulUvbMAR

— Miami Herald Sports (@HeraldSports) September 26, 2019

But where do the Miami Dolphins land on this?  I can confirm that the Dolphins made repeated efforts to trade Reshad, but only under the most friendly circumstances.  A league source tells us that the most serious of the suitors was the Dallas Cowboys who required Miami to take on “too much” of his salary, which in turn, made the deal not palatable.

Head Coach Brian Flores has repeatedly stated how much respect he has for Jones, but has never offered bouquets as to his future, or standing on the team:

Interesting answer from Brian Flores when asked if Reshad Jones will be a starter when he finally returns. pic.twitter.com/y3j74nkOmj

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) May 29, 2019

So what does the future hold? Having spoken to somebody close to the situation, not much else has changed, and cutting him this offseason is surely “the leader in the clubhouse.”, while trading him is always preferable. However, new thinking has come in, and there is a growing sense that Reshad Jones could be more valuable in uniform for the Miami Dolphins in 2020, than just a cleaner entry in their balance sheet.

The ultimate decision on whether Reshad Jones sticks here or not, could be Brian Flores’ and if it is, it could bode well for Jones to be here in 2020.  As for the front office, there is plenty of goodwill between them and Reshad Jones since the safety allowed a restructure of his contract in 2018 (he did however collect the same money).  Jones has consistently been accommodating to staff, and is considered “one of the good guys” among team personnel.

It could be as simple as the coaching staff seeing a bit of value in retaining Reshad Jones’ leadership, and experience to go with what is likely to be one of the youngest units on the team in 2020.  A Jones departure as of now, is seen as a loss to many in the organization. Reshad Jones has made a very good impression to many of the new faces in the organization to go with all the good will he retains.

In closing, the balance sheet could dictate the future of the Dolphins’ Safety, and most likely will, but there are many forces at play here that do not rule out a return to the Miami Dolphins lineup in 2020.  If I had to put an arbitrary number on his return, I would put it at 25%, but there are many in the organization, with influence, that do not share my pessimism of Reshad Jones prospects as a roster player on the 2020 Miami Dolphins.

Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) is one-third of the trio that does the Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) podcast.