Rookie minicamp finally kicked off for the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, and there have already been no shortage of storylines. Avieon Terrell is being held out is intriguing, but perhaps the most captivating piece of news from the weekend is surrounding undrafted free agent running back Cash Jones.
Jones was spotted working out with the wide receivers during drills at minicamp, but the real smoking gun came from his ex-Georgia (and now NFL) teammate Zachariah Branch. Branch was the one who told the media that the Falcons are planning to transition him into a full-time slot receiver.
So instead of the 6-foot, 182-pound back competing with Nate Carter and Tyler Goodson for the RB3 spot, he'll be joining a much more crowded competition in the receiver room. But if Kevin Stefanski sees him as this dual-threat offensive weapon, perhaps it will help his chances of making the roster.
The Falcons are in the process of moving Cash Jones from RB to WR
When you pull back the curtain, it's not very surprising to see why the Falcons are changing Jones' position. It makes sense. Across five seasons with the Bulldogs, he recorded more receptions (57) than rush attempts (52), and had more than twice as many receiving yards than he did rushing yards.
As far as his shot of making the roster goes, the position change displays a level of faith in his skillset to translate to the NFL. The Dirty Birds probably aren't going to roster more than three RBs, but rostering six receivers increases Jones' odds of making an impression on the staff with his versatility.
Since Branch, Drake London, Jahan Dotson, and Olamide Zaccheus are the only wideouts with their roster spots guaranteed, he'll compete with the following guys to make the roster.
- Deven Thompkins
- Casey Washington
- Dylan Drummond
- Chris Blair
That means four veterans are vying for two spots, but he'll have to compete with the three UDFA wideouts the Falcons signed. Vinny Anthony is just as versatile and Keelan Marion is an elite special teamer, but having a converted RB in Jones offers Stefanski another weapon to help the QB room.
Atlanta will absolutely utilize Jones creatively, which makes his fight for a roster spot more interesting. They'll likely employ packages where the undrafted rookie will line up both in the backfield and out wide, which is similar to how the New York Giants use their WR-turned RB in Tyrone Tracy Jr.
It's unclear if he will make the final roster yet, but Stefanski and the Falcons clearly have plans for Cash Jones if they're in the process of changing his position from RB to WR.
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