In 11 Border Battles played, Jones usually made a major impact in the outcomes of games. Green Bay went 6-3 in his nine starts and 5-0 when he rushed for at least 75 yards. Jones recorded four 100-yard games against Minnesota, the most against any opponent, and he toted a career rush average of 5.7 yards per carry in Border Battles.
Green Bay capitalized on Jones’ ability to be a dual threat, going 44-17 (regular season and playoffs) when Jones recorded at least 15 scrimmage touches. The Packers record was 33-7 in games with at least 18 scrimmage touches.
He joins the Vikings in the wake of Minnesota releasing 2019 draft pick Alexander Mattison. Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, 2023 draft pick DeWayne McBride are the other running backs on the roster, along with fullback C.J. Ham, who was used as a third-down back in pass protection more in 2023.
Prior to his NFL career, Jones shined at UTEP, where his 4,760 career all-purpose yards and 136.0 per-game average both rank second all-time. He has three of the Miners 10 longest rushing plays, including the record 91-yarder against Texas Tech during an injury-shortened junior season. His 240 career points scored rank fourth all-time and second among non-kickers.
Jones was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Vurgess and Alvin Jones, Sr., both of whom were non-commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. The family thus moved around often, and lived in Germany, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Texas, where Jones attended Burges High School in El Paso.
Jones’ father, whom he was incredibly close to, passed away in 2021 due to COVID-19.
First appeared on www.vikings.com