If you're worried, get a dog.
That line, often uttered by Howard Eskin, fits as a guide as Byron Jones to the Eagles rumors fly in.
With NFL free agency on the horizon, insider after insider continues to connect the Eagles to the Cowboys defensive back, with record money likely to be part of the equation.
Is a mega deal risky? Of course. But the risk is worth the reward for the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman.
Related: Report: Eagles will be 'all-in' on Byron Jones
Jones isn't the next Byron Maxwell or Nnamdi Asomugha. This isn't DeMarco Murray or Chris Boniol 2.0. We're not talking about a disaster waiting to happen for the Eagles. The best cornerback available on the open market continues to be linked to the Eagles, and it's a good thing. The Eagles desperately need a player like Jones, and shouldn't shy away because of past mistakes at the position.
We're talking about a player that does many things the Eagles defense has been missing, especially at the cornerback position. When a combination of versatility (can cover wide receivers or athletic tight ends, as we remember when Jones lined up against Zach Ertz), durability (only one game missed in five NFL seasons), off-the-charts athleticism (something we haven't seen from an Eagles corner in ages), frame/tackling ability that lends itself for an eventual move to safety down the line (similar to Malcolm Jenkins), all the boxes are checked.
The reasons to fear a Jones deal are natural, but not enough to shy away from going to get the best player available at this position in the market.
Yes, Jones didn't have a single interception last season and only has two in his five-year career. More would be nice, and more can be expected. But judging defensive backs on interceptions is becoming an outdated way to talk about value. In a league that now features so many simple, quick throws, the opportunity for picks drops on a year-by-year basis. Buffalo's Josh Allen finished 17th among quarterback with a 2.0 interception percentage last season. Joe Montana's career rate was 2.6 percent. Balls simply are thrown up for grabs much any longer in modern NFL offenses.
No, Jones isn't the game's best corner. That title belongs to Stephon Gilmore in New England. But free agency is about supply and demand and timing. Shying away from Jones because he's very good, but not great can't be the approach on the open market. If it was, there's little point to targeting good players. They all get overpaid.
Most importantly: Jones can be a long-term building block on a side of the ball that desperately needs it. Heading into the 2020 season, the Eagles don't have a single defensive player under the age of 30 that has shown enough to be considered a long-term building block. Not Derek Barnett. Not Sidney Jones. Not Avonte Maddox. Not one player. Jones is that, and can be something young and durable to count on moving forward, similar to the idea behind signing Jenkins and Brandon Brooks in the recent past.
Plus, signing Jones (or any sure-fire starting cornerback) takes away one glaring need before we get to the 2020 NFL Draft. While wide receiver is a real worry, let's not pretend that the team couldn't line up and get through a game during Week 1 of next season with some combination of DeSean Jackson, Greg Ward and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside flanked by excellent tight ends and running backs. We just watched a worse group of wide receivers rack up four consecutive games of 400 yards of offense to end last season.
But with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills slated to be free agents, the Eagles biggest need when the new league year starts is corner. Right now, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox would be the team's starting corners. You can't win like that in the NFL. We know how much this franchise struggles at picking future stars at the position, so it's time to accept past mistakes and sign one with youth and upside.
There likely will be sticker shock if a deal comes down between the Eagles and Jones on the first day of the legal tampering period, but it will be worth it. Get the best corner on the market, and start turning over a defense that's watched it's stars age quickly.
If you're looking for a slam-dunk, All-Pro, future Hall of Fame, prime-aged player to fall in the Eagles lap, keep looking. But, if like Roseman, you want the Eagles to retool the right way with long-term deals on good bets, Jones is the kind of risk worth taking.
