Pro Bowl Safety Reshad Jones Released by Dolphins Before Free Agency

The Miami Dolphins announced the release of two-time Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones on Wednesday with the move becoming official March 18.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, releasing Jones will save Miami $5.3 million against the salary cap. Jones signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Dolphins in 2017, and his contract wasn't to expire until after the 2021 season with a club option for 2022.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier released the following statement regarding the move:

Jones has spent his entire 10-year NFL career in Miami, and he was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2015 and 2017.

The Dolphins selected Jones in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft out of Georgia and after mostly serving as a reserve during his rookie season, Jones became a starter in 2011 and never looked back.

Now 10 years into his career, Jones has appeared in 128 games (113 starts) and registered 776 tackles, 21 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns), seven fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns) and 10.5 sacks.

While Jones has been productive throughout his career, his Pro Bowl campaigns of 2015 and 2017 were undoubtedly his best years. In 2015, Jones recorded a career-high 135 tackles and five interceptions. Injuries limited him to six games in 2016, but he bounced back with 122 tackles and two picks in 2017.

Jones finished last season with just 27 tackles and no interceptions primarily because he missed 12 games with a foot injury.

Injuries have been an issue for Jones in recent years, as he missed 10 games in 2016, two in 2018 and 12 last season. During his 10-year career, he has appeared in all 16 games in a season four times.

With the Dolphins releasing Jones, it likely means they will lean on Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe as the starting safeties next season unless they address the position in free agency or the draft.

McCain is a five-year veteran who started eight of the nine games he appeared in last season, while Rowe is a five-year player and two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the New England Patriots who started 15 games for Miami last season.

With a Pro Bowl-quality player like Jones no longer in the fold, improving on a pass defense that ranked 26th in the NFL last season and gave up a league-high 39 touchdown passes could be a major challenge for the Dolphins in 2020.