Reshad Monquez Jones (born February 25, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

strong safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

. He was drafted by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in the fifth round of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Early years

Reshad was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School where he earned AAAA All-State and Defensive Player of the Year honors from ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' and the Georgia Sports Writers Association as a senior. Jones was the no. 1 safety in the country according to PrepStar 100 and Rivals Top 100. Jones was also the Fox Sports Net South Countdown to Signing Day All-South First Team defensive back.

College career

Jones was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at Georgia. Reshad finished his college career playing in 39 games with 27 starts and recording career totals of 206 tackles (129 solos), including 10 stops for losses. Jones batted away 13 passes and intercepted 11 others for 174 yards. The stand out safety became the eighth player since statistics were kept in 1950 to lead the team in interceptions in consecutive seasons. As a sophomore, Reshad was named second-team Sophomore All-American and second-team All-SEC honors while winning the team's Most Improved Defensive Back Award. Jones repeated the feature as a junior and was named as a second-team All-SEC selection and earned the team's Most Improved Player Award for defense.

Professional career

On January 4, 2010, Jones announced that he would forgo his senior season at

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and enter the

, as he was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts. He was one of 54 collegiate defensive backs to attend the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

and completed all of the combine drills. He finished tied for third among all defensive backs in the

bench press The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...

, tied for fifth in the vertical jump, and finished 21st in the 40-yard dash. On March 16, 2010, he attended Georgia's pro day and improved his times in the 40-yard dash (4.50s) and 20-yard dash (2.64s) and ran positional drills for scouts and team representatives. He was linked to the Miami Dolphins after attending a dinner with team personnel during a two-day visit. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Jones was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the third best strong safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

2010

The

selected Jones in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the

. The Miami Dolphins traded their sixth (174th overall) and seventh round (219th overall) selections to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

to acquire the Redskins' fifth round pick and select Jones. He was the 13th safety selected in 2010. On July 14, 2010, the Miami Dolphins signed Jones to a four-year, $1.95 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $160,400. He entered training camp competing against

Tyrone Culver Lanell Tyrone Culver (born July 6, 1983) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State. Early years Culver attended Palmdale ...

and Chris Clemons for job as the starting free safety after it was left vacant by the departure of

Gibril Wilson Gibril Donald Wilson (born November 12, 1981) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee. W ...

. Head coach

Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...

named Jones the backup free safety behind Chris Clemons to start the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut in the Miami Dolphins' season-opening 15–10 victory at the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. He was inactive for two consecutive games (Weeks 8-9) after suffering a knee injury during the Dolphins' 23–22 loss to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. On November 14, 2010, Jones recorded three solo tackles, two pass deflections, his first career sack, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback

Vince Young Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...

during a 29–17 victory against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. The following week, he earned his first career start at free safety in place of Chris Clemons who suffered a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury the previous week. He recorded a season-high five combined tackles in the Dolphins' 16–0 loss to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. He was sidelined for the Dolphins' Week 12 victory at the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

after he suffered an ankle injury. He finished his rookie season with 21 combined tackles (18 solo), two pass deflections, an interception, and a sack in 13 games and two starts.

2011

Through training camp in , he competed for the job as the starting free safety against Chris Clemons. Defensive coordinator

Mike Nolan Michael Tullis Nolan (born March 7, 1959) is a former American football coach. Nolan previously served as a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and a defensive coordinator for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, ...

named Jones the starting free safety, alongside strong safety

Yeremiah Bell Yeremiah Neavius Bell (born March 3, 1978) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Kentucky and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 200 ...

, to begin the regular season. Reshad Jones2

He started the Miami Dolphins' season-opener against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

and collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo) and deflected a pass during their 38–24 loss. The following week, he recorded six combined tackles and sacked quarterback

Matt Schaub Matthew Schaub (born June 25, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the th ...

as the Dolphins lost 23–13 to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. Jones was inactive for the Dolphins' Week 7 loss to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

due to a knee injury he sustained the previous week. He returned the following week, but was demoted as a backup behind

. He remained the backup for three games before regaining his starting role in Week 11. On December 12, 2011, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Tony Sparano after the Dolphins fell to a 4–9 record. The defensive backs coach

Todd Bowles Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New York Jets. He ...

was named the interim head coach for the rest of the season. In Week 15, Jones made six combined tackles and intercepted his first pass of the season off a pass by

Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...

in their 30–23 victory at the

. He finished the season with 67 combined tackles (49 solo), four pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception in 15 games and 12 starts.

2012

Jones entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety. Head coach

Joe Philbin Joseph Anthony Philbin (born July 2, 1961) is an American football coach who, until recently, served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he h ...

named him the starter for the start of the regular season, alongside free safety Chris Clemons. On November 15, 2012, Jones recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles (11 solo) and deflected a pass during a 19–14 loss at the

. In Week 13, Jones recorded nine solo tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and intercepted a pass by

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

during a 23–16 loss to the

. He finished the season with 94 combined tackles (73 solo), nine pass deflections, four interceptions, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. He was also the led the Dolphins in interceptions.

2013

Jones held out and skipped organized team activities due to a contract dispute after he was set to make $1.32 million in 2013 after allowing an average quarterback rating of 38.0 and only allowed one touchdown reception in pass coverage during his first full season as their starting free safety. His quarterback rating average allowed in pass coverage ranked fourth among all safeties in 2012. On August 5, 2013, the Miami Dolphins signed Jones to a four-year, $28.01 million contract that includes $15 million guaranteed and a $5 million signing bonus. Jones and Chris Clemons remainder the starting safety duo to begin the season in their second season under defensive coordinator

Kevin Coyle Kevin Coyle (born January 14, 1956) is an American football coach who is currently the defensive coordinator at Fresno State. Prior to that, Coyle was a senior analyst at LSU. He served as head coach of the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of Ame ...

. On October 6, 2013, Jones recorded three solo tackles, broke up a pass, and returned an interception by

Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...

for a 25-yard touchdown during a 26–23 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. It marked his first career touchdown in his first four seasons. In Week 17, he recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles (ten solo) as the Dolphins lost 21–7 to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. Jones finished the season with 107 combined tackles (84 solo), four pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.

2014

On August 8, 2014, Jones was suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He released a statement through the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeMa ...

that he never intentionally took any performance-enhancing drugs and failed the test for a substance that is banned by the NFL after receiving a supplement from a former college trainer, but fully takes responsibility for not checking the supplement and investigating further. Jimmy Wilson replaced Jones at strong safety during his four-game absence (Weeks 1-4). Upon finishing his suspension, he returned to his starting role, alongside free safety

Louis Delmas Louis Delmas (; born April 12, 1987) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Western Michigan. He was also a member of the Miami Dolphins. ...

. He made his season debut in a Week 6 matchup against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and recorded nine solo tackles and deflected a pass during a 27–24 loss. The following week, Jones recorded seven solo tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and returned an interception by

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...

for a career-long 50-yard return during a 27–14 victory at the

. In Week 13, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (nine solo), deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback

Geno Smith Eugene Cyril "Geno" Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to multiple bowl game ...

in the Dolphins' 16–13 win at the

. Jones finished the season with 80 combined tackles (70 solo), seven pass deflections, three interceptions, and a sack in 12 games and 12 starts.

2015

Head coach

retained Jones as the starting strong safety to start the 2015 regular season, opposite new free safety

Walt Aikens Walter Aikens Jr. (born June 19, 1991) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Liberty University. High school career Aikens attended Ha ...

. He started the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the

and recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (seven solo) and broke up a pass during their 17–10 victory. On October 5, 2015, head coach of Joe Philbin was fired after the Dolphins lost their Week 4 matchup against the

and stood at 1–3. Tight ends coach

Dan Campbell Daniel Allen Campbell (born April 13, 1976), nicknamed "Motor City Dan Campbell", or "MCDC" for short, is an American football coach and a former tight end who is the head coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He pr ...

was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. On October 18, 2015, Jones collected eight combined tackles, deflected a pass, and returned an interception by

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota play ...

for a 30-yard touchdown in the Dolphins' 38–10 win at the

. The following week, he made eight solo tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception by quarterback

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for seven different ...

for a 23-yard touchdown in a 44–26 win against the

. In Week 10, Jones collected nine combined tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and an interception as the defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

20–19 victory. He finished the season with a career-high 135 combined tackles (106 solo), ten pass deflections, a career-high five interceptions, two sacks, and two touchdowns in 16 games and 16 starts. On January 24, 2016, it was announced that Jones was named as an replacement to the

2016 Pro Bowl The 2016 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2016 Pro Bowl presented by USAA for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2015 season, which was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31, 2016. As of 20 ...

after Cincinnati Bengals' safety

Reggie Nelson Reggie Lee Nelson (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football safety. He played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of a national championship team and earned consensus All-American honors. He wa ...

was unable to participate due to an ankle injury he suffered in the AFC Wildcard Game. On May 16, 2016, Jones was announced as the 64th ranked player, as voted by his peers, on the

NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 was the sixth season in the series. It aired on May 4, 2016. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton being ranked #1. The Kansas City Chiefs had the most players selected with nine, while the Chicago Bears Th ...

2016

On January 9, 2016, the Miami Dolphins announced the hiring of Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator

Adam Gase Adam Joseph Gase (born March 29, 1978) is a former American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2014, whose offense set the NFL record for p ...

as their new head coach. Defensive coordinator

Vance Joseph Vance Desmond Joseph (born September 20, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Previously he was the head coach of the Denver Bronco ...

named Jones the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, along with free safety

Isa Abdul-Quddus Isa Abdul-Quddus (born August 3, 1989) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and has also played for the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. He played college football for ...

. He started the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

and recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (six solo) and broke up a pass during their 12-10 loss. On October 16, 2016, Jones collected five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

in their 30-15 victory over the

. He left the game in the third quarter after tearing his rotator cuff. On October 19, 2016, the Miami Dolphins officially placed Jones on injured reserve and announced that he would miss the remainder of the season with his torn rotator cuff. Jones finished the season with 51 combined tackles (31 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and half a sack in six games and six starts.

2017

On March 9, 2017, the Miami Dolphins signed Jones to a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Dolphins with $35 million guaranteed and a $9.2 million signing bonus. Head coach Adam Gase named Jones the starting strong safety, opposite free safety Nate Allen. In Week 9, he collected nine solo tackles and broke up a pass in the Dolphins' 27–24 loss to the

. On December 19, 2017, Jones was named to his second Pro Bowl. On December 24, 2017, Jones recorded a season-high 15 combined tackles (ten solo) and deflected a pass during their 29–13 loss at the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. He finished the season with 122 combined tackles (94 solo), five pass deflections, two interceptions, and 1.5 sacks.

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

gave Jones an overall grade of 81.5, ranking 29th among all safeties in 2017. His 122 tackles were those most among all defensive backs and 12th most in the league.

2018

In the Dolphins' season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Jones recorded two interceptions in a single game for the first time in his professional career.

2019

On November 20, 2019, Jones was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. On March 18, 2020, the Miami Dolphins released Jones, who still had two years left on his previous deal. Jones was the last remaining Dolphin on the roster to have played under head coach

, who died from

arteriosclerotic heart disease Atherosclerosis, Arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD), is a thickening and hardening of the walls of the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis is a potentially serious condition where arteries become clogged with fatty substances called plaques, or a ...

2 years prior. Jones' release from the Dolphins also made sixth-year wide receiver

DeVante Parker DeVante Parker (born January 20, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round in the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college ...

the new longest tenured player on the team's roster.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Jones is first cousins with former NFL cornerback/return specialist Adam 'Pacman' Jones. Jones has a daughter with

WAGS Miami ''WAGS Miami'' is an American Reality television#Documentary-style, reality documentary television series that premiered on October 2, 2016, on E! television network, making it the first spin-off of ''WAGS (TV series), WAGS''. The reality show chr ...

star, Darnell Nicole. They separated in 2016.

References

External links

Georgia Bulldogs bioMiami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Reshad 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta American football safeties Georgia Bulldogs football players Miami Dolphins players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players American Conference Pro Bowl players