Jim Brown/USA Today Sports
Jones plays when hurt, healthy and everything in between
Ben Jones won’t say it has been easy.
The Tennessee Titans center believes it has been worth it. His ability to get himself on the field and the middle of the offensive line has earned him the respect of coaches and teammates in two organizations, millions of dollars and a recent contract extension that ensures him the opportunity to extend his streak of consecutive games played beyond this season.
Jones enters the 2019 NFL season having appeared in 112 straight, which covers every contest since he entered the league as fourth-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2012. He has started every one over the past five seasons, including all three since he joined the Titans as a free agent in 2016.
Among current NFL offensive lineman, his streak is tied for the longest and well beyond anyone else’s who plays his position. Of course, that is not to say that he has been healthy the entire time.
“There’s been some hairy moments,” Jones said. “But I don’t want to let my teammates down and if it’s something I can go through – no matter what – I’m going to be out there for them.”
A rundown of the NFL offensive linemen with the longest active games played streaks entering this season:
| Player, position | Team | Games |
|---|---|---|
Ben Jones, center | Tennessee | 112 |
Mitchell Schwartz, tackle | Kansas City | 112 |
Eric Fisher, tackle | Kansas City | 85 |
Jake Matthews, tackle | Atlanta | 78 |
Jason Kelce, center | Philadelphia | 73 |
Among players at all positions on offense, only quarterbacks Philip Rivers (209 games), Matt Ryan (147) and Matthew Stafford (128) have longer streaks. Another, Russell Wilson, matches Jones with 112 straight appearances.
Exclusively a center during his time with the Titans, he also played both guard spots during his time with the Texans before he settled into the middle of their line in 2015. He has blocked for four different 1,000-yard rushers and never has been called for more than six penalties in a season.
“Ben is not just a smart player, Ben’s a good player,” coach Mike Vrabel said.
“You don’t have enough room just to keep guys because they’re smart. You have to be able to be good at your job and have a skillset, and then if you have some instincts, and awareness and some football IQ, it really helps.
“… I think it’s always critical to have a guy in the middle of the offense that has played a lot of football, that knows the protections that we need to get in based on certain looks, or runs.”
And thus far in his career, Jones has always been there.
“As long as you’re able to play, no matter if you’re hurt or not, that’s how you last in this league,” he said. “You’re always hurt in this league and you’re always banged up. It’s just how you perform when you are.”
Or that you perform, which he has done.
