The Miami Dolphins have made a major move to bolster their roster in the wake of Artie Burns’ season-ending injury.
The veteran cornerback reportedly tore his ACL on the first day of training camp Wednesday, leaving the Dolphins in severe need of a replacement.
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that Miami has filled the void left by Burns’ injury by signing free agent Jack Jones.
Jones started 16 games for the Las Vegas Raiders last season but was released by Tom Brady’s franchise in April following unsuccessful trade attempts.
The 27-year-old was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, he was benched by the Patriots in 2023 after missing curfew the night before a game against Washington and was released the following week.
Veteran cornerback Artie Burns suffered a season-ending injury in training camp
The Miami Dolphins signed free agent Jack Jones in an attempt to fill the void Saturday
The Raiders claimed him off the waivers the following day, ending his stint in New England after just one full season.
Over his three seasons in the league, the California native has registered seven interceptions, 27 pᴀsses defended and 136 tackles in 42 games.
Last season, he totaled career highs in tackles (69), pᴀsses defended (16) and interceptions (3) for the Raiders but gave up 698 yards and nine touchdowns.
Burns was officially placed on injured reserve by the Dolphins on Thursday. However, the team did not disclose the specifics of the injury, despite reports that he had suffered a torn ACL.
Miami has been left depleted in the cornerback department after releasing Kendall Fuller and trading Jalen Ramsey earlier this offseason.
Head coach Mike McDaniel insisted that he was confident in his current group of cornerbacks while addressing the issue earlier this week. Yet, he did admit that the team was always looking to improve.
‘If you have youth at a position that’s developing and you’re developing it and you have confidence in it, you’re going to have confidence in it before the people that haven’t seen it do,’ he said.
‘So, we’re confident in the group. That being said, not closing the door for anything. There’s multiple players we talk about each and every day, but we’re also very excited with some guys that have a lot to prove and know that and are excited about the opportunity.’
Jones started 16 games for the Las Vegas Raiders last season but was released in April
The team also signed a veteran cornerback in Cornell Armstrong, a player they originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, one day after Burns suffered the injury.
Jones will now compete against Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield for one of the two jobs.
The Dolphins suffered another blow Wednesday when tackle Bayron Matos was airlifted to hospital after suffering an injury in the final few minutes of practice.
Matos was taken to a local medical facility in a helicopter but the Dolphins have said he is now in a stable condition.
