Chris Jones (punter)
| No. 6 Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Punter | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | July 21, 1989 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Rome, Georgia | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Coosa (GA) | ||||||||||
| College: | Carson-Newman | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2011 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2016 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Chris Jones (born July 21, 1989) is an American football punter for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at Carson-Newman College.
Early years
Jones attended Coosa High School where he was an All-Area punter. He accepted a scholarship from Carson-Newman College where he was a four-time starter and All-SAC performer.[1]
As a freshman in college he led the SAC with a 41.4 average per punt. As a senior he was second in the league with a 42.1 yards average. For his career he averaged 40.3 yards per punt, registered 46 punts inside the 20-yard-line, 20 punts of at least 50 yards and his longest punt was 73 yards.
Professional career
Jones was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys in 2011 and was released before the season started. He was signed to the team's practice squad and filled in for an injured Mat McBriar in two games, recording a 42.6-yard gross average.[2]
In 2012, the Cowboys showed faith in his potential by not resigning McBriar, who was arguably the best punter in franchise history. He entered the season as the starter, but suffered a left knee injury on September 23, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he nearly had a punt blocked. On October 14, a practice injury to punter Brian Moorman forced him to play against the Baltimore Ravens with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament he was still rehabbing.[3] He was placed on the injured reserve list on October 24.[4]
On August 24, 2013, during a preseason game, he was the second player (first Cowboys player) to hit the Cowboys Stadium high definition "jumbotron" scoreboard.[5] In 2013, he regained his starting job and in his first full season finished with a 45-yard gross average, a 39.1-yard net average and 21 punts inside the 20-yard-line.
On March 10, 2014, he signed his exclusive rights tender of $645,000.[6] He had a 45.4-yard per punt average with 21 downed inside the 20-yard line and a 39.8-yard net average.
In 2015, he ranked third in the league with a career-best 42.5 net average, though the Cowboys require him to directional punt. He tied for fifth with 22 fair catches and tied for fourteenth with 27 punts inside the 20-yard line. On December 7 against the Washington Redskins, he became the first punter in franchise history to recover a fumble during the return of one of his own punts.
References
- ↑ "Carson-Newman : CNEagles.com : Jones inks rookie free agent deal with Dallas Cowboys". CNEagles.com. 2011-07-29. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ↑ "Cowboys re-sign Chris Jones". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Chris Jones has partially torn ACL". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Source: Punter Chris Jones headed to IR". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Chris Jones hits digital board with punt". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Cowboys re-sign Chris Jones". Retrieved February 19, 2016.