Redskins rumors: Matt Jones wants out of Washington

The end of his run with the Washington Redskins is clearly near, and running back Matt Jones is not at OTAs.

Over the course of last season, Matt Jones was phased out of the running back mix for the Washington Redskins. He was a healthy scratch starting in Week 10, and the 2015 third-round pick finished with 99 carries for 460 yards and three touchdowns in seven games.

Jones surely sees the writing on the wall, particularly after the Redskins used a fourth-round pick on Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine in April. So it’s not surprising he’s skipping Redskins’ OTAs, as he awaits a trade or release. But Mike Jones of the Washington Post added that members of Washington’s coaching staff have told Jones he is not part of the team’s plans.

After serving in a part-time role as a rookie, and averaging just 3.4 yards per carry (144 carries for 490 yards), Jones started the first seven games last season before giving way to Rob Kelley. Ball security has been his primary issue, with six lost fumbles in his career, and an obvious source of frustration for the Redskins’ coaching staff.

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Apart from his lackluster performance, being part of former general manager Scot McCloughan’s first draft class may be working against Jones behind the scenes. But the Redskins do seem to be holding out for a possible trade, rather than pulling the trigger on an inevitable release. A late-round or conditional draft pick is the virtually certain return in a trade for Jones, so there’s not much upside in hanging onto him.

Jones should land somewhere else in plenty of time for training camp, with an opportunity to earn a roster spot. Where exactly that will be is unclear, so it may take a running back injury or two during June minicamps to open up a list of suitors for the Florida product.