Packers: Aaron Jones is still NFL’s most underrated running back
Aaron Jones is the most underrated running back in the NFL.
Aaron Jones is, somehow, still underrated.
Mike McCarthy didn’t give him a featured role in his offense in his first two seasons and now, even after leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns last season and finding the end zone 23 times in 18 games, he remains underrated.
According to Get Up ESPN’s Twitter account, a poll including NFL executives, scouts, and players ranked the top 10 running backs in the NFL.
One name missing? You guessed it. Aaron Jones.
Aaron Jones: Most underrated running back in the NFL
Every time Jones is given an opportunity, he delivers. Finally given a featured role by the Green Bay Packers last season, he responded with 1,084 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. But that’s not all. Jones also made his biggest contribution in the receiving game of his career with 474 yards and three touchdowns.
Could he deliver in the playoffs? How about 149 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in two games?
All of the running backs who made the top 10 are great players. There’s no doubt about that.
Josh Jacobs had an excellent rookie season and is a future star, but at this point in his career, is he a better running back than Jones? Jones scored over twice as many rushing touchdowns as Jacobs last season and is also a better receiver than the Oakland Raiders’ first-round pick. That’s not to say Jacobs can’t become one of the NFL’s top running backs, but right now Jones is the better player.
Le’Veon Bell is a three-time All-Pro. At one point, he was the best running back in the NFL. But last season he finished with just 789 yards and three touchdowns. As he didn’t play in 2018, you have to go back to 2017 to find his last 1,000-yard season. Bell is still a talented running back, but should he have made the top 10 over Jones? I’m not so sure.
Jones has made the most of every opportunity he’s been given. But after a dominant 2019 season, he’s still the most underrated running back in the NFL.