Philadelphia Eagles: Can team figure out Matt Jones?

The Philadelphia Eagles are giving running back Matt Jones another opportunity. He’s shown potential, but can they help him reach it?

The Philadelphia Eagles are pretty familiar with Matt Jones. In 2016 as a member of the Washington Redskins, the running back torched Philadelphia for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. That was one of the few good games for Jones in 2016, though.

This has been the story of the career of Jones: Inconsistency. He can dominate one game, but come out completely flat the next. That coupled with a fumbling problem caused him to go from the future to out of favor in just two years in Washington.

Flash forward to 2018 and Jones is now with the Eagles. He appeared in five games for the Indianapolis Colts last season, rushing five times for 14 yards. With that in mind, the 25-year old doesn’t exactly seem like the best prospect anymore, does he? There’s still a lot going for Jones, however.

In 248 rushing attempts, he’s fumbled seven times. That’s something that needs to be corrected. Jones also holds a respectable 3.9 yards-per-carry though. While not great, it’s solid for the sparing usage he gets.

At 6-2, 239 pounds, he’s an absolute tank. He doesn’t have elite speed, but solid acceleration and a north-to-south mindset helped mask that. There’s a reason the Redskins drafted Jones in the third round and a reason many saw him as a future star. His first attempt didn’t pan out. Many would argue he never got a fair shake though. Some would also argue he was never used right.

By that I mean, Jones is more power than speed. Despite that, he found himself being used on things such as pitch plays more often than you’d expect.

That’s where the Eagles come in. Jones won’t be asked to be the star. In fact, he’ll be fighting for a spot on the roster. If he makes the team though, he’ll be surrounded by a fantastic cast. The Eagles have a superb line and great receivers. Carson Wentz is an elite quarterback and the other running backs create a solid group.

With that team, Jones can be used in certain spots. There’s no need to use him on pitch plays or plays that call for speed or quick cuts. Use Jones for almost exclusively power (although he’s not bad when it comes to cuts). Give him a chance to do what he does best and he might just thrive.

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For Matt Jones, the product is already there — a bull of a runner that can get the tough yards. He can be more than that though. There’s potential to be special in Jones. A lot of scouts saw it a few years ago, and the Eagles are banking on it finally shining through. All they have to do is put him in the right situations.