The Houston Texans have acquired another running back for their stable with former Oakland Raider and Buffalo Bill, Taiwan Jones.
While not readily apparent, a confluence of opinion on the 30-year-old running back between Texans general manager Brian Gaine and special teams coordinator Brad Seely could be the reason why Jones has joined Houston.
Jones started out his career with the Raiders as a fourth-round draft pick in 2011. In 2015, the Raiders hired Jack Del Rio as their new coach, and Seely took over as the special teams coordinator. 2015 turned out to be Jones’ best season as a kickoff returner as he led the AFC in such yardage with 829.
In 2017, Jones would depart for Buffalo where Gaine was the vice president of player personnel for that season only. Jones would stick around for one more season as Gaine took the big front office gig with Houston in 2018.
For Jones’ career, he has carried 44 times for 183 yards and caught 18 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown through 80 games with no starts. It appears the Texans are trying to fill the Tyler Ervin role with a the 6-1, 200-pound back.
Just as an offensive or defensive player cannot stay on the 53-man roster without playing some special teams, so too must a special teams player play a little offense or defense. The Texans seemed to have found a decent returner and fill-in slot receiver in DeAndre Carter last season. Jones will have to prove he is more valuable to the offense than Carter while simultaneously carving out his niche as Houston’s kickoff returner.
