Veteran running back Felix Jones is in an unfamiliar position right now. It’s July, and he’s a free agent hoping to get a call from a team. Barring something extremely unlikely happening- that team won’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers traded Adrian Robinson to the Eagles in exchange for Felix Jones last August. Prior to that, Jones spent his first five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. The move was a stop gap of sorts to bolster running back depth after Le’Veon Bell suffered a foot injury a few days prior to the trade. Jones was active for every game last season, but saw very few snaps as the season progressed.
Jones is confident he’ll find a place on another team. “I know something is going to happen, I have a gut feeling,” he told Tulsa World recently. Jones totaled 2,728 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns with the Cowboys before signing with the Eagles last spring. Last season, the former 1st round pick had 184 rushing yards, though, he did have nearly 3 times as many return yards by season’s end.
Although the life of a running back is short in today’s NFL, Jones believes he can still contribute. “I played the game for a few years,” he said. “I kinda got the hang for what’s going on in the NFL at my position. I know I can teach younger guys. Obviously I still got some gas in my motor.”