Byron Jones' prolonged stay on the physically unable to perform list will last through the first month of the 2022 season.
The Dolphins placed the cornerback on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Tuesday. The move from the preseason PUP list to reserve/PUP means Jones will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
Jones underwent surgery on his lower leg in the offseason and appeared to be on schedule, according to coach Mike McDaniel, who said in mid-August that Jones hadn't endured any setbacks on his path back to the field.
Still, that didn't mean Jones would be ready for Week 1.
“Things have to hit on all cylinders without a setback for that to be the case,” McDaniel said on Aug. 16, via the Miami Herald. “Nothing has changed in that regard... The timeline for him is a little shorter based on his production on the NFL level.”
Jones has been a solid cornerback in his NFL career, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2018 before joining Miami on a five-year, $82 million deal in 2020. A tandem of Jones and Xavien Howard has caused problems for opposing quarterbacks in the last two seasons, but the Dolphins will be forced to find his replacement for the first month of the 2022 season. Keion Crossen and Noah Igbinoghene have attempted to fill the void during the preseason, though the latter has struggled.
Miami will hope the combination of the two can help out for the time being as it embarks on a season with heightened expectations after missing the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.
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