Matt Jones will not be at Redskins OTAs, moving on...

The Washington Redskins drafted Matt Jones in the 3rd round of the 2015 NFL draft, and it was considered a reach at the time. Jones received significant playing time in his rookie year, splitting carries with incumbent starter Alfred Morris. Jones had almost 800 overall yards and 4 TDs, but also had 5 fumbles, losing 4 of them.

Matt Jones entered last season as the starter after the team did not re-sign Morris. He racked up another 533 total yards in 2016 before being benched following the Redskins Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions. Jones lost a fumble in that game, and also suffered a knee injury. He was not active again last year.

During this year’s draft there were reports that the Redskins were trying to trade Matt Jones, something that didn’t seem likely to happen for multiple reasons. The Redskins would not get much, or any return on a RB that would likely be released and has an issue with ball security. The Redskins then drafted former Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine the following day in the 4th round, and Jones fate was sealed.

Jones will reportedly not be at organized team activities(OTAs) which means he is not part of the Redskins plans going forward. Perine will compete with last year’s starter Robert Kelley for the starting job, and Chris Thompson will once again have a significant role in the team’s offensive plans. Mack Brown and Keith Marshall will fight to earn a spot, but will likely only have a shot at the practice squad.