It was a rough first year in the NFL for Arizona Cardinals cornerback Elijah Jones. He did not get to play as a rookie. Now he is perhaps a forgotten man in the Cardinals’ pretty deep cornerback room.

Drafted in the third round out of Boston College with elite athletic traits, Jones was on and off the field with his health in the offseason program and then injured his ankle in the preseason finale. It cost him his season.

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He was placed on injured reserve and designated to return on Dec. 5, allowing him to practice. He got three weeks of practice but did not get activated and finished the season on IR.

Where is he at entering his second season?

On the final day of mandatory minicamp, head coach Jonathan Gannon said Jones was coming off his best day.

“He’s done well,” Gannon told reporters. “He’s worked on his health bucket a lot, which needed to improve and he took that to heart, and he’s done a really good job. I think he looks comfortable out there.

“(It’s his) second year in the system and he didn’t get to practice a ton last year because he had the injury there, but he’s improving. He’s really come on here this last week. He’s doing well.”

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He appears to be battling for a fifth spot on the roster. Garrett Williams, Star Thomas, Max Melton and 2025 second-round pick Will Johnson appear set as the top four. Jones is in the mix with rookie Denzel Burke, Kei’Trel Clark and others for a roster spot.

How does he compare? We will see in training camp and the preseason, but Jones has the tools.

“He’s got length. He’s got coverage ability. He can press and can play off. He’s got pretty good instincts,” said Gannon. “He can run. He’s doing well.”

He will be a player to watch in training camp when it begins at the end of July.

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: CB Elijah Jones making strides after rookie season lost to injury