Running back Matt Jones reported to work in Washington on Tuesday for the first time this offseason, but his presence at mandatory minicamp doesn’t appear to be an indication that he wants to remain on the Redskins.
Jones’ agent Hadley Engelhard told the Associated Press that he asked the team “very politely” to release Jones and make him a free agent. Jones did not play in the final nine games of the 2016 season after the team bumped Rob Kelley up to the lead role in the backfield and the Redskins drafted Samaje Perine in April to push Jones further down the depth chart.
“Let’s move on,” Engelhard said. “We’re hoping [team president Bruce Allen] sees the light and does the gentleman thing and release Matt. ... He’s a healthy scratch. All the writing’s on the wall that he’s going to be released. Is Bruce waiting for a team to have a devastating injury that’s in dire straits to make a trade? I guess you can do that. But you’re messing with someone’s mind, for lack of a better term.”
Jones did not make the same plea on Tuesday, saying that he is “going to work like I’m on the team and play like I’m on the team.” For now, he is indeed on the team but it doesn’t look like anyone in his camp will be upset when and if that changes.