Report: Austin Jones agrees to UDFA deal with Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders have agreed with USC Trojans running back Austin Jones to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to a report by Tom Pelissero.

With Kliff Kingsbury now at Washington as the team’s offensive coordinator, this will be a reunion of sorts for him and Austin Jones. Prior to landing at Washington, Kingsbury worked with the offense at USC as an assistant.

Prior to his time at USC, Austin Jones also spent three seasons playing for the Stanford Cardinal. He transferred following the 2021 season and spent the next two years with the Trojans.

Over the course of his five-year career, Austin Jones put up excellent numbers. He rushed for 2,337 yards for his career with 24 touchdowns on the ground. He also made 105 receptions for 901 yards and another three touchdowns, giving him the ability to impact the game in multiple ways.

His most productive seasons came at USC. There, he rushed for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry over two seasons. He also had two of his three receiving touchdowns with the Trojans.

Austin Jones played high school football at Bishop O’Dowd (California), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 121 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

During his two seasons at USC, the Trojans went 19-8. That includes a Top-25 finish and a trip to the Cotton Bowl for the 2022 season. In 2023, USC would go on to win the Holiday Bowl.

Austin Jones is joining a Washington Commanders team in a rebuild that put significant draft capital this season toward the offense. That included four picks on the offensive side of the ball. The most notable of those was quarterback Jayden Daniels.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Austin Jones

Prior to the NFL Draft, analyst Lance Zierlein broke down Austin Jones and what to expect from the USC running back as he makes his transition to the NFL.

“Compact back with adequate size to keep runs on time between the tackles. Jones is a complementary back who makes up for a lack of juice with consistent tempo and a lack of dancing. He can take on contact and has pretty good vision, but he’s unlikely to create yardage for himself with elusiveness, power or speed,” Zierlein wrote.

“He shows some guts in pass protection and can get what’s available as a pass catcher, but Jones doesn’t appear to have the traits to help him stand out as a prospect.”