RB Aaron Jones: From underutilized in 2018 to revitalized in 2019
Aaron Jones, who was drafted back in 2017 out of UTEP in the fifth round, definitely has shown why he deserved to be a featured back in Green Bay’s offense. The only problems were injuries (missed 9 total games in 2017-18), and underutilization under former head coach Mike McCarthy. Now, under new head coach Matt LaFleur; he’s been thriving. Although his YPC is down by 1.1 yards (5.5 to 4.4), he’s still a very steady player. A big reason why he’s been revitalized by LaFleur’s new system is his ability to not only run the ball out of the backfield but to also receive it as well.
In 2017 and 2018 combined, he had a total of 13 touchdowns in 34 games. Jones has eclipsed that mark by one (14), through ten games in 2019; which ties him with fellow RB Christian McCaffrey for first place in the NFL. The full potential of Jones as a multi-dimensional back is definitely becoming more apparent under Matt LaFleur. As a tandem, both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams have been incredibly successful together. I do believe though that LaFleur and his staff wanted it to be that way up until this final stretch of games. Now, I think you’ll start to see much more of Jones rather than a balanced approach with both Jones and Williams.
It’s not to take away from how great Williams has been — because he’s also been such in his own right but, Jones I think has been a bit more successful overall than Williams has as far as having a featured role in the offense. Along with Jones getting a bigger role within the offense and not splitting carries as much, I also think you’ll see Rodgers and co. use more of an up-tempo offense instead of trying to drain the clock and trying to get an offsides call (it’s actually resulted in 25 false starts and delay of game penalties; which leads the NFL.) If anything, I think it can benefit both Jones and the offense as a whole. Passes will get out quicker which will hopefully mean that more points will be scored. The screen game will become a great weapon for Rodgers to utilize as well as for Jones to showcase his pass-catching prowess (he’s caught a total of 35 passes for 354 yards (T-5th among RBs), and 3 touchdowns.
Simply put, this is an offense that thrives off of a multi-dimensional attack using both running backs and receivers. Aaron Jones has been that and more for Green Bay this year and it’s one of the many reasons why he’s been so successful within it. In the four games without Davante Adams, Jones carried the load from rushing and receiving standpoint, catching a total of 22 passes for 280 yards, and 7 touchdowns. He also had 55 carries for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns. It’s a testament to the type of player Jones is. He obviously loves being out there and able to contribute — and boy has he ever. From an offensive perspective, it’s definitely a far cry from where he was a year ago. He’s gone from a relatively unknown to an MVP caliber player and I’d definitely say he’s gone from underutilized to revitalized — all in under just under a year’s time.
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