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One Player Greatly Benefits From 49ers Releasing Jack Jones
Aug 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jack Jones (25) reacts in the second half ]against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hit the road Jack.

The San Francisco 49ers have released cornerback Jack Jones on Wednesday to make room for DeForest Buckner on the 53-man roster.

Cutting Jones was an easy decision for the 49ers. He played terribly in the Week 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It's been a theme for him all season, except Week 1.

His performance against Atlanta was the last straw. His presence will not be missed. Now that he's gone, there's one 49ers player who will greatly benefit from his release.

The 49ers player who benefits is...

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's rookie Ephesians Prysock. He played a role in the 49ers releasing Jones, out of everyone else they could've chosen from.

He got in a couple of snaps against the Falcons. It was the start of the 49ers turning the page from Jones to Prysock.

This is 100% the right move for them. Jones was a walking penalty. He provided nothing but negative plays every single time he was on the field.

At least with Prysock, the 49ers will build up a player who gives long-term benefits. Jones doesn't, which isn't anything surprising.

Jones has never been a good player. At his best, he's a hit-or-miss player. But this season, he's been mostly a miss. The only time he was solid was in Week 1.

Since then, he's been a negative factor. Now, Prysock might be a liability as well, but he can learn from those mistakes.

The 49ers drafted him for a reason. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris had to have advocated for him or been interested to some degree.

He saw something in Prysock. He probably would've been in a better position on the team had he not gotten hurt before the season. In his limited showing, Prysock was pretty solid in the preseason.

There's a lot to like about him, especially his physical traits. He gives the 49ers a tall and lengthy option at cornerback, which they don't have with Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green.

The 49ers will bring Prysock into their dime package the same way they did with Jones. But now they can play with the matchups if they want him on a bigger receiver.

I don't think the moment will be too big for him either. The most important thing is that the 49ers get him developed. They couldn't do that with Jones on the roster.

They will now.


This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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