The Miami Dolphins' new regime hasn't been shy about tearing the entire roster down to the studs. While it's natural that Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley would want to build the team in their image, it means some players who had earned a spot in fans' hearts will be moving on. The latest defection is the Dolphins' starting cornerback of 2025, Jack Jones.
The latest report is that Jones has agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers, taking him back to his home state of California. The former starting cornerback went from playing under Kyle Shanahan's protégé, Mike McDaniel, to playing for the mentor himself. It's safe to assume Shanahan gave McDaniel a call about the scrappy defender before bringing him on board.
The endorsement must have been glowing.
Jack Jones heads out west as the 2026 Miami Dolphins become less and less recognizable
Jones came to Miami in the summer of 2025 with a career that warranted a gamble. He had seven interceptions (four of which were returned for touchdowns), including fantastic advanced stats in his first two seasons (64.8 and 75.0 passer rating in his coverage area according to Pro Football Reference).
It didn't necessarily make sense that a 27-year-old with that kind of resume was available for the league minimum in late July, but Jones' journey has had a few bumps in the road that led to his availability. He had some off-field issues before the 2023 season, then got himself into Bill Belichick's doghouse and was subsequently released after missing team curfew.
A rough 2024 season with the Raiders saw him shake loose, and it took some time for him to catch on elsewhere. The Dolphins came calling in late July, and Jones wound up wrangling a starting role out of training camp.
What transpired from there was — unfortunately for Dolphins fans — the worst season of his career. Jones surrendered a bloated 119.3 passer rating in his coverage area, as he was torched often. His Pro Football Focus grade (60.2) ranked 67th out of 114 qualifiers. He nonetheless gained more than a few supporters because of the toughness and grit he showed. Despite standing 5'11" and weighing 175 lbs, Jones' 77 tackles were fourth-most on the team.
He also delivered one of the few moments of excitement for the 2025 season when his overtime interception of Marcus Mariota put the Dolphins in position to steal the victory in Week 11. A play he manifested just before bringing it to life.
It was obvious to Dolphins fans that Jones wasn't long for the roster, especially considering the tangible effort of adding size to the cornerback room throughout the offseason. The Dolphins have not added a single player at the position who is under 6'0", with the only two CBs remaining under that soft requirement (Jason Maitre and Ethan Robinson) being holdovers from last year's practice squad.
Jones will go down as the latest 2025 Miami Dolphin to be moving on, and he surely won't be the last.