Backfield Attrition Presents Versatile Tony Jones Jr. Prime Opportunity With Seahawks
RENTON, Wash. - When the calendar flips to December, the Seahawks have dealt with chronic bad luck keeping running backs healthy in recent years. Most notably, they had to summon Marshawn Lynch out retirement in 2019 when Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, and Rashaad Penny all suffered season-ending injuries in a two-week span.
Unfortunately, such late season misfortune has struck in Seattle again, as the team began preparations for a Week 14 home date with Carolina without dynamic rookie Ken Walker III or DeeJay Dallas able to practice due to ankle injuries suffered in Sunday's 27-23 win in Los Angeles. While neither injury looks as serious as 2019 when Penny tore his ACL and Carson cracked his hip, it's possible both players could be out several weeks, leaving the team short-handed in the backfield.
With Travis Homer also working his way back from a knee injury and limited in Wednesday's practice after sitting out last weekend, second-year back Tony Jones Jr. has been left as the only healthy back on the 53-man roster. Behind him, recently signed veteran Wayne Gallman, Darwin Thompson, and Godwin Igwebuike could all be options for game day elevations as the only remaining depth.
But while the Seahawks backfield attenuation may seem bleak with a player who has averaged only 2.7 yards per carry in his three-year NFL career set to potentially start on Sunday, after seeing Jones in action on offense for the first time against the Rams, coach Pete Carroll has the utmost confidence in him to step in as a workhorse if needed.
“He’s really aggressive. He’s a downhill guy. He runs strong," Carroll said of Jones' skill set on Wednesday. "He catches the ball really well. He’s a good pass pro guy. He can do everything. He has a good style about him, physical, aggressive style.”
Built with a powerful 5-foot-11, 224-pound frame, Jones starred at IMG Academy and participated in the Army All-American Game before committing to Notre Dame. Stuck behind Josh Adams and Dexter Williams on the depth chart, he only logged 127 carries in his first three years on campus, rushing for 624 yards and six touchdowns. As a senior in 2019, he finally had a chance to be a feature back and performed well, rushing for a team-high 857 yards, six touchdowns, and 6.0 yards per carry.
Looking to maintain momentum after a stellar final season in South Bend, Jones didn't perform as well as hoped at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.68-second 40-yard dash ranked 27th out of 28 running backs who participated and his vertical and broad jump numbers ranked 23rd and 21st respectively. He did turn in a strong short shuttle time (4.21) seconds, which was fifth-best at his position and more than a tenth of a second quicker than Dallas.
On the heels of a college career where he only started for one season and a subpar combine performance, Jones went undrafted and signed with the Saints. Though he didn't make the opening day roster, he started the season finale after being elevated from the practice squad and rushed three times for 13 yards.
Signed to a reserve/future contract after the season, Jones made the Saints roster the following September after an impressive preseason in which he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Dressing for 11 games total last season with four starts, he rushed 54 times for 142 yards and also caught five passes while seeing limited action on special teams. After playing in two games this season, he was waived and the Seahawks claimed him off waivers with Homer heading to injured reserve.
Since joining Seattle in early October, Jones has only been active for three games as solely a special teams contributor and once Homer returned, he was left as the odd-man out of the rotation from Week 8 to Week 12. He didn't dress for four straight games as a healthy scratch.
But with Homer already ruled out and Jones active against the Rams, once Walker exited with what Carroll called a "jammed" ankle in the second quarter and Dallas injured his own ankle moments later on Sunday, the St. Petersburg native finally was thrust into action. Though his numbers weren't anything impressive with seven carries for 14 yards, he stepped up in an adverse situation and came through with some positive plays.
Aside from getting stone-walled by former Seahawk and future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in the backfield twice - something many great backs have had happen to them over the past decade - Jones ran tough between the tackles behind an offensive line that has struggled to create push up front as of late. His longest run went for seven yards as he powered his way downhill through the teeth of the Rams defense and 13 of his 14 yards came after contact.
As a receiver, Jones took a helmet-to-helmet shot on his first reception opportunity from safety Russ Yeast, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty and losing his contact in the process. Moments after making his first catch for a nine-yard gain on a swing route, he appeared to haul in a catch in the flats, only for Wagner to make a spectacular play ripping the ball away from him as he went to the turf for a highlight reel interception.
While that unfortunate turnover wound up leading to a Matt Gay field goal, Jones bounced back with a second nine-yard reception to set up a Jason Myers field goal to push the advantage back to 20-16 with under seven minutes left to play. Finishing with two catches for 18 yards on four targets, he didn't have his cleanest game as a receiver, but as Carroll stated, they trust him to be able to have an impact in the passing game catching the ball and picking up blitzes.
Obviously, the Seahawks will be hoping for Walker and/or Dallas to make a quick recovery and potentially be available on Sunday. After practicing on Wednesday, Homer looks to be on track to make it back as well and would start if the other two backs aren't available and he doesn't have his own setback.
Either way, however, none of those backs will be coming into this week's game close to 100 percent and given the recent trend of ball carriers dropping like flies, Jones will absolutely be active as an insurance policy, if not a starter. Aiming to stick around in Seattle by proving his worth, if one or more of his backfield mates can't go, he will have another prime opportunity to capitalize on the injuries around him and show off his bruising, physical running style and well-rounded game.
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