PHILADELPHIA -- During his college days at Washington, Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones' teammates used to playfully tease him for the amount of time he would spent in the film room preparing for the next opponent.

As the Eagles prepare for their divisional round matchup with the Atlanta Falcons this Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, it is clear that Jones is once again spending plenty of time in the film room.

"Balanced team. Multiple formation team," Jones said of the Falcons. "They do a lot of stuff. Variations of stuff, run the ball a good amount."

Jones sounded like a player who is ready to go on Saturday, something that would have been crazy to predict just weeks ago when he was still on the non-football injury list due to the torn Achilles he suffered prior to being drafted.

Now, however, it isn't that crazy. Jones played in Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys, looking good (and healthy) in the 29 snaps he played on defense.

"Just getting those nerves out, getting that first game under my belt. I'm just looking forward to improving," Jones said. "I'm getting used to the playbook, the defense, getting comfortable with the guys. Taking scout team reps."

Jones playing against the Cowboys, and looking good in the process, presents the Eagles with an interesting dilemma heading into Saturday's game.

Do they dress Jones? And if they do, whose spot does he take on the game day roster?

The first six of the seven players the Eagles are required to make inactive on game days are fairly easy to figure out. Unless an unforeseen injury occurs, the team will likely sit defensive end Steven Means, running back Wendell Smallwood, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, offensive tackle Will Beatty, defensive tackle Elijah Qualls and wide receiver Shelton Gibson.

When you take special teams players into consideration -- like defensive end Bryan Braman and safety Jaylen Watkins -- the Eagles' last inactive spot likely comes down to either Jones or rookie cornerback Rasul Douglas.

A key in making the decision between the two could down to special teams. In his first game, Jones played seven snaps on special teams against the Cowboys, which came out to be 35% of the total special teams snaps.

"Special teams I'm doing jammer, a little bit of gunner," Jones said of his current roles on special teams. "Last week was a learning experience for me."

Working in Jones' advantage is that Douglas has not played a huge role on special teams this year. Despite not missing any games due to injury this season, Douglas played in only 18% of the team's special teams snaps this year.

The fact that Douglas doesn't play a huge role on special teams means that the decision really could come down to who the Eagles feel more comfortable putting into the game on defense.

Douglas has played well at times during his rookie year, and his 422 snaps of experience on defense might give him an edge of Jones. Douglas started to struggle a little bit, however, as the season went on and was beat for a touchdown in the Eagles' Week 17 game against the Cowboys.

Jones, on the other hand, was a second-round pick with first-round talent for a reason. The Eagles' cornerbacks have struggled as of late, and although Jones lacks experience, there is an argument to be made he is the most talented cornerback on the roster.

Head coach Doug Pederson wouldn't commit to Jones either playing or sitting this Saturday, and Jones said the team has informed him yet either.

As the team prepares for the Falcons, however, what they do with Jones -- and who they sit if they do play him -- is one of the more interesting questions entering Saturday.

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.