Markus Jones
Markus Jones (born January 10, 1996) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He previously played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens. Jones played college football for the Angelo State University Rams.
Free agent | |||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Hanau, Germany | January 10, 1996||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
Weight: | 249 lb (113 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
College: | Angelo State | ||
Undrafted: | 2019 | ||
Career history | |||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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Early years
Jones played football for the Crowley High School Eagles with 90 tackles and 7 sacks during his senior season.[1] He also played basketball[2] and competed in track and field, recording a 6'8'' high jump in 2014.[3]
College career
Jones signed with the Division II Lone Star Conference Angelo State Rams of San Angelo, Texas in 2014 as a defensive end, earning numerous accolades over the course of his collegiate career.[1] As a senior, Jones recorded 84 tackles including 36.5 tackles for loss, the highest number recorded across all divisions of NCAA football.[4] Jones also made 17.5 sacks in 2018, breaking the Angelo State sack record with a total of 37 career sacks, in addition to two blocked kicks and four forced fumbles.[4]
In January 2019, Jones competed in the annual East-West Shrine Game after being named the 2018 winner of the Gene Upshaw Award as the best offensive or defensive lineman in Division II football.[5] During practices, Jones received significant attention after pushing offensive tackle Paul Adams to the ground during one-on-one drills.[6]
Professional career
After the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.[7] Following an injury to Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III, Jones was waived[8] and subsequently claimed off waivers by the Packers.[9][10] Jones made a strong preseason showing, including two back-to-back turnover plays versus the Kansas City Chiefs.[11] Jones did not make the Packers roster at the end of the preseason.[12][10]
In October 2019, Jones was selected in round 8 of 30 during open portion of the 2020 XFL Draft by the St. Louis BattleHawks.[13]
Following the XFL draft, Jones spent a December 2019 mini-camp with the BattleHawks before being traded by St. Louis to the Dallas Renegades at the end of mini-camp.[14] Following the XFL's January 2020 league-wide training camp in Houston, Jones was waived by the Renegades and assigned to the XFL's Team 9 practice squad, also in Dallas, Texas where he trained until the XFL suspended operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[17]
Personal life
Jones graduated from Angelo State University in December 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and minors in Biology and Psychology.[18] He is married to a fellow Angelo State graduate.[19]
References
- "Markus Jones - Football". Angelo State University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Markus Jones' High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Markus Jones". Athletic.net. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Markus Jones Named LSC Male Athlete of the Year". Angelo State University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "DII football: Angelo State's Markus Jones wins 2018 Gene Upshaw Award | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- PewterReport (2019-01-14). "Angelo State DE Markus Jones flattens Missouri OT Paul Adams at @Shrine_Gamepic.twitter.com/2diI24YIH7". @pewterreport (in Danish). Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- Bryce, Charles. "Angelo State great Markus Jones signs with NFL team". San Angelo. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Markus Jones: Waived by Ravens". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Packers claim rookie LB Markus Jones off waivers from Ravens". Packers Wire. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "2019 Green Bay Packers season", Wikipedia, 2019-10-16, retrieved 2019-10-16
- "Packers: Top five performers vs. Chiefs in preseason". Lombardi Ave. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- "Full list of Packers roster cuts from 90 to 53 players". Packers Wire. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- Oct 16, FOX Sports Midwest; ET, 2019 at 6:05p (2019-10-16). "XFL draft, Day 2: Battlehawks fill out roster with DBs, some of everything". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- Perry, Mark. "First XFL Trade Between St Louis Battlehawks And Dallas Renegades". Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- "XFL unveils 'Team 9'". www.xfl.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- "XFL files for bankruptcy after suspending league". ESPN.com. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- "2018 Fall Anticipated Graduates". www.angelo.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
- Harris, Paul. "Former Angelo State standout Markus Jones drafted by XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks". San Angelo. Retrieved 2019-10-17.