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Rumors: Matt Jones awaiting trade or release from Washington Redskins

By Jacob Camenker

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball as Cleveland Browns defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun (20) defends during the second half at FedEx Field. Washington Redskins wins 31 - 20. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball as Cleveland Browns defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun (20) defends during the second half at FedEx Field. Washington Redskins wins 31 - 20. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Matt Jones does not appear to be in the long term plans for the Washington Redskins.

Before the 2016 NFL season, many believed that Matt Jones was going to be the featured back for the Washington Redskins. He was coming off a promising rookie campaign that saw him put up big numbers in a couple of games during the season. He flashed potential to be a workhorse, and the Redskins wanted to give him a chance.

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However, there were also signs that Jones was destined to have some issues. He had struggled with ball security and eventually hit a rookie wall. After all, he had problems seizing a larger role from Alfred Morris, who barely had any juice left in his final season as a Redskin. For that reason, there were a lot of skeptics.

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Turns out that the skeptics were right about Jones. Though he improved his yards per carry dramatically and generally showed better speed in 2016, he never fixed his ball security issues. Jay Gruden elected to have Rob Kelley take over as the starter following an injury to Jones prior to Week 8. Jones was never active again following that.

Now, it looks like Jones’ days as a Redskin are numbered. We had already reported that Jones was not at the start of OTAs. It looked like he was not going to come back. Now, that information has been corroborated by Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

"A person familiar with Jones’s situation said the third-year pro has opted against reporting to Redskins Park because members of the coaching staff told him he’s no longer a part of the team’s plans following the ascension of Rob Kelley and the drafting of Samaje Perine."

This would not be a surprise. Perine appears to have the makings of a potential lead back while Kelley can serve as the starter until he is ready. Mix in the trusty third down weapon Chris Thompson and promising special teamer Mack Brown, and the backfield is full.

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Jones will almost certainly land another job in the future. He should get a role as a backup with a running back needy team. Perhaps he would be a good fit as a high upside depth guy for the Seattle Seahawks. For now, he does not appear to have a place with the Redskins and will likely be released at some point this offseason.

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