Reasons for picking Reshad Jones- When fans talk about the best safeties of the last decade, the most common names brought up are Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Harrison Smith and Devin McCourty. Rarely brought up is Reshad Jones, a two-time Pro Bowler who played more games than any other safety in Dolphins history. At Georgia, he would redshirt his first year before making an immediate impact as a true freshman, as he was named to the Freshman All-America Team after finishing third on the team in tackles (57) despite only starting 2 games. The next year, he earned Second-team All-SEC honors while leading the team in interceptions (5) and finishing second in tackles (76) while starting 12 games. In 2009, he again earned Second-team All-SEC honors while leading Georgia with 4 interceptions and finishing second with 73 tackles. Jones would then declare for the Draft after the season, with initial expectations being that he would be selected in the first or second round. However, despite most mock drafts having Jones going no later than the third round, he would wind up falling all the way to the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Miami Dolphins.
Like many late-round rookies, Jones would have to wait before earning playing time in the NFL, as he started the season as a backup and missed a few games with knee and ankle injuries, finishing his first season with 21 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception. His second season saw him battle 2010 starter Chris Clemons for the starting free safety position, with Jones outplaying Clemons after he suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason, and winning the starting job. 2011 would wind up being an up-and-down year for Jones, as he finished 4th on the team in tackles (67), but battled injuries throughout the season again and even lost his starting job at one point to backup Tyrone Culver, though he regained it after head coach Tony Sparano was replaced by Todd Bowles. In 2012, Jones started all 16 games and finally broke out, leading the Dolphins in interceptions (4) and becoming the only safety that year with at least 90 tackles, four interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Following the season, Jones initially held out for more money and skipped OTA’s in hopes of a new contract, and would sign a 4-year, $29 million contract extension in August 2013 and put up a career-high 107 tackles that year. He continued to be a tackling machine, and would finish second in tackles (80) on the 2014 Dolphins despite serving a 4-game suspension for substance abuse. Jones started all 16 games again in 2015 and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance, finishing with the 4th-most tackles (135) in the NFL and the most among defensive backs. After missing much of the 2016 season with a torn rotator cuff, Jones signed a 5-year, $60 million contract extension ($35 million guaranteed) with the Dolphins in the offseason. He went on to have another Pro Bowl season, leading all NFL defensive backs in tackles (122). He was released by the Dolphins following the 2019 season after battling injuries.
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