Matt Jones eager to enter the season as Washington’s starter at running back
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After coming to Washington as a third-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, Matt Jones enters his second season with the Redskins eager to step into the main role at running back for the club. Jones put up a respectable 490 rushing yards while playing sparingly during his rookie campaign and is now poised for a breakout season for Jay Gruden’s offense.
Aside from the added workload, Jones admitted this offseason was different knowing he was expected to take over the running back reins for Washington heading into the season.
“Yeah, very different. It’s a different approach you got to take,” Jones admitted to NFL.com’s Around The NFL. “The ownership you got to take, the liability you got to take. You got to do everything. You got to be a leader.”
Last season Jones was forced to share the ball with teammate Alfred Morris but with Morris off the team and now playing for the Cowboys, the team is looking for Jones to fill the void left by Morris’ departure.
“I think I’m becoming a great leader,” Jones said. “Just learning from Kirk (Cousins), learning from (defensive end) Chris Baker and learning from all these leaders out here on the team and all these old veterans on the team, how they do stuff; there’s always room for learning. And I feel like I’ll become a great leader in the future.”
Against arguably the best defensive line in the NFL last season, Jones ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on the St. Louis (now the Los Angeles) Rams to show what he was capable of when given full responsibilities in the backfield. Given this opportunity, Jones is working hard to ensure he’s taking full advantage of it.
“I don’t take that for granted, either,” Jones said regarding his elevation to the top of the depth chart in Washington. “Just making the best of my opportunities out there. Whenever my number’s called, just do something with it.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
