Josh Jones Presented ‘Great Opportunity,’ Set to Start For Seahawks vs. Rams

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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57) and Seahawks guard Josh Jones (74) walk off the field after defeating the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images [/caption]

RENTON, Wash. - Aside from a handful of snaps, the Seattle Seahawks have had both of their starting tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas on the field every play during their 11-3 start, enjoying great continuity up front.

But with the visiting Rams set to fly in for Thursday’s massive prime time rematch between the top two teams in the NFC with a division title and No. 1 seed potentially hanging in the balance, that continuity will be tested for the Seahawks. After tweaking his hamstring during Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter against the Colts on Sunday, Cross has officially been ruled out, thrusting journeyman Josh Jones into the lineup in his place protecting Sam Darnold’s blind side.

Though he didn’t have a timetable in regard to how long Cross ultimately would be out, coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Jones would slide in at left tackle, offering a “great opportunity” for the 28-year-old to step up in the biggest game of the season thus far.

“Just like everything else, we've had guys that have had opportunities throughout the season, and this is no different,” Macdonald said of Jones. “He's got a great opportunity. He's prepared. Go out there and play your tail off, let’s go.”

Originally a third round pick out of Houston by the Cardinals in 2020, Jones started 21 games in his first three NFL seasons, spending the bulk of his second season in 2021 at right guard and right tackle before returning to his natural position at left tackle in 2022. In two seasons as a primary starter, he allowed 56 pressures and eight sacks in pass protection, struggling to keep rushers away from Kyler Murray while lining up at multiple positions.

At that point, after investing a first round pick in Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona decided to move on from Jones, trading him to Houston in August 2023 in exchange for a late-round draft choice. Continuing to showcase his versatility, Jones started three out of 12 games played that season for the Texans, logging 156 snaps at left tackle, 63 snaps at left guard, and 14 snaps at right guard, allowing nine pressures and a sack in limited action.

Since starting those three games, Jones has had to adjust to the role of a swing tackle over the past two years with the Ravens and now the Seahawks, only seeing a handful of snaps as a sixth lineman or checking in briefly as an injury replacement. It’s been a humbling experience for Houston native, but he has remained patient waiting for his number to be called, preparing behind the scenes for a situation just like the one now presented with Cross unable to suit up during a short week.

"It feels like a long time, but preseason kind of helped with that,” Jones said in the locker room on Wednesday, adding that it is his job to stay ready. “It has been a minute, but I'm still super excited and looking forward to it."

Since the regular season started, Jones has played 56 offensive snaps for Seattle, with the vast majority of those coming in garbage time during blowout wins over New Orleans, Arizona, and Atlanta. With that small sample size and an emphasis on running the ball to eat clock in those situations, he’s only had to pass block on eight snaps, allowing no pressures or sacks.

With that said, the Seahawks signed Jones back in March because of his prior starting experience and versatility, viewing him as an upgrade over departed tackles George Fant and Stone Forsythe. And this won’t be the first time he has worked with the first-team offensive line either, as Cross’ dislocated finger that required surgery in August led to him seeing extensive action on the practice field next to rookie left guard Grey Zabel, earning the trust of Macdonald and offensive line coach John Benton.

Calling left tackle his most comfortable position, Jones will be tasked with protecting Darnold against a stout Rams defensive line headlined by edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young. Both young talents have at least six sacks, with Young enjoying a breakout third season with a team-high 11 sacks thus far, along with a combined 46 quarterback hits.

“They got some good guys rushing to passer, a great front, great defensive game plan that they put together,” Jones remarked. “So we gotta go out there and play some good ball.”

While that may seem like a rough draw for a backup tackle who has not played more than 20 snaps in a game since 2023, particularly on a short week, Jones is taking this latest starting chance with the Seahawks in stride. Leaning on the mentality he has adopted as a reserve lineman to ensure he’s fully prepared for the opportunity, as well as his previous starting experience, he remains confident that he will be able to jump into the lineup and hold his own.

Helping matters, of course, will be the fact that he has played quite a bit next to Zabel dating back to OTAs and minicamp in the spring. Those two won’t have quite the same feeling out process as sometimes happens when backups sub in, already having some chemistry and a connection dating back to the dog days of training camp.

With that said, there’s no question the Rams will be looking to exploit Cross’ absence out of the gate on Thursday, and the Seahawks will have to provide additional support if Jones struggles with the likes of Verse and Young early. Additionally, defensive coordinator Chris Shula mixed in several stunts up front with great success in the first matchup between these teams, and such tactics could be deployed with overloaded fronts to take advantage of the backup being in the lineup as well.

The onus will fall on offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to scheme around Cross being out, which may be a feeling out process early on Thursday as the team sees how Jones performs out of the gate and how much help from tight ends and running backs chipping edge rushers may be required to help him. No matter what, the veteran doesn’t intend to flinch, well prepared for his shot and eager to hold his end of the bargain to help Seattle even the score against its rival with a big win for the boisterous crowd at Lumen Field.

“It’s part of the job. I've been doing it for a little while now, so I go with the mindset that I'm gonna play every week just in case something did happen. In this case, it did. So I’m ready.”