Green Bay Packers: Josh Jones’ exit reminds us of what could have been

There was optimism surrounding the Green Bay Packers’ secondary after the 2017 NFL Draft. Kevin King and Josh Jones were supposed to be anchors to their secondary for years to come. But with Sunday’s release, Jones’ disappointing career in Green Bay comes to an end.

Things were supposed to work out better than this. Josh Jones was supposed to be the athletic demon that solved the Green Bay Packers’ issues in the middle of their defense.

When he was drafted, the Packers called him a dime linebacker even though he had the positional designation of safety. Jones’ size and speed combination jumped right off of the page as his athleticism was paramount.

With a Packers defense that didn’t have elite athletes in the middle of the field at the time, Jones was a welcomed addition.

However, shortly after Jones was picked, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Juju Smith-Schuster and the New Orleans Saints traded up to select Alvin Kamara.

Thinking back to 2017, most Packers’ fans lament the fact that the team passed on Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt in order to trade back and take Kevin King.

With context and reality, the selection of Josh Jones in the second round is the one that hurts much more. Watt has been a good player, but so has King.

King’s issues in his young career have been health-related. Despite the frustrations that come with injuries, much of it comes down to bad luck more than it does anything else.

Jones’ issues, on the other hand, were that he was never a consistent player. The flashes that he was able to display were tantalizing, but they were few and far between.

Jones’ performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 was one of the best performances a Packers defensive player has had this decade. Jones was a Tasmanian devil and was all over the field that game.

He finished with 12 total tackles, two sacks, and wrecked a number of other plays throughout the course of the game. It was Jones’ first start and the Packers had to have believed that they had found a star.

Fast forward to last season, where there was a change in defensive coordinator as Dom Capers was out and Mike Pettine is in. Unfortunately for Jones, he was unable to supplant players like Jermaine Whitehead and Kentrell Brice for the safety position opposite of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

That said, there is a highlight that stands out from Jones last season. During the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Jones was sent on a blitz where he sacked Josh Rosen on the play and it looked like he had been shot out of a cannon. That play right there is the potential that the Green Bay Packers saw in Jones when they had drafted him.

However, just before offseason programs were about to start, Jones requested a trade and skipped all of the team’s voluntary functions.

Yet GM Brian Gutekunst did not give in to Jones’ request and a trade did not happen. So Jones was forced to report to Mini-Camp and to Training Camp.

Coming into this year, Jones was consistently behind Raven Greene and it appeared that he had gotten into Pettine’s doghouse early, and was unable to get out.

Contrast that with the players that were drafted after him back in 2017, and the disappointment only continues to grow as at the moment, the Packers are looking for help at running back and consistency at wide receiver.

Kamara is a star in this league. His presence would provide a dynamic 1-2 punch with Aaron Jones if the Packers would have selected him instead of Josh Jones and he is also an excellent fit for Matt LaFleur’s scheme as well.

Eventually, former GM Ted Thompson would select three running backs in the 2017 draft with Jones, Jamaal Williams, and Devante Mays all coming as day three picks.

While Jones has the potential to break out this season, Kamara is objectively better than all three of those players.

Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster has been an excellent secondary receiver for the Steelers in his first two seasons. Now, he’s stepping into the spotlight as Antonio Brown is now in Oakland.

Smith-Schuster and Davante Adams are a perfect mix for each other. Smith-Schuster, like Adams, appears to be a star receiver without the ego that tends to come with players of that caliber. Smith-Schuster’s ability next to Adams would give the Packers a receiving corps that could threaten the top-five in terms of quality.

The Green Bay Packers certainly could have used a receiver back in 2017 as well. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were both entering the final stages of their career in Green Bay and Smith-Schuster could have learned from Nelson, Cobb, and Adams for a year before being put into a bigger role last season following the release of Nelson.

Instead, the Packers are wondering what could have been with a player that they couldn’t get a conditional 7th round pick for.

Unfortunately for the Green Bay Packers, there are a lot of stories like this. Hopefully, under Gutekunst, these types of stories become less prevalent.