When the Miami Dolphins allowed longtime veteran safety Yeremiah Bell to leave via free agency last offseason, the question of who would be able to fill his shoes in the secondary was a valid one. Third-year safety Reshad Jones stepped up to the podium and answered that question with conviction in 2012.

The former Georgia Bulldog was consistent throughout the season, racking up 95 tackles (74 solo) four interceptions, nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack. Jones intercepted passes in Weeks 2, 5, 13 and 16, including one off of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. That snapped Brady’s streak of consecutive passes without an interception at 202.

Jones also had a memorable outing at the Buffalo Bills on a Thursday night when he led the team with 14 tackles (11 solo), forced a fumble and broke up one pass. He had begun to show that potential in 2011 when he started 12 of the 15 games in which he appeared and had 67 tackles (49 solo), two sacks and one interception.

By taking his game to another level, Jones has provided some security in the secondary for Head Coach Joe Philbin, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle and the rest of the team headed into 2013

Signature Moment

Jones picked the final home game of the season to put all of his Pro Bowl credentials on display against the Buffalo Bills two days before Christmas. Unfortunately for him, the Pro Bowl voting had closed the Friday before the game. All Jones did in Miami’s 24-10 win was recover two fumbles and then seal the victory with an interception with just over a minute remaining in the game near his own end zone. His first fumble recovery, which he returned 14 yards, set up Miami’s first touchdown of the game and he accounted for three of the four turnovers on the afternoon.

Coaching Perspective

“I think we’ve been talking a little bit about Reshad throughout the season. His play has been consistent and it has been consistently good to be quite honest with you. We’d love to get three takeaways from him every week certainly, but I think he's a guy who is playing better and better as the season progresses. I think he is going to be a very, very good player in this league for a long time.” – defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle

Teammate Perspective

“He’s taken it to another level and it’s good to see him mature as a player. The whole defense realizes this young man is making strides towards being something special in the league. He can do it all and he’s got the potential to reach that high level. He’s becoming a leader back there and it’s much needed. He can definitely be a special player not only for this organization but in the league in general.” – veteran middle linebacker Karlos Dansby