Brett Carlsen/Getty Images Jarron Jones of the Buffalo Bills blocks Anree Saint-Amour of the Minnesota Vikings during a preseason game on August 29, 2019.
On Friday the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they have inked two more players to Reserve/Future contracts, this in addition to the 13 players they signed on Thursday.
RB Trey Edmunds
One of the two players is running back Trey Edmunds, who was waived three days ago but has since cleared waivers.
Edmunds spent much of the 2020 season on the practice squad, but was elevated for the team’s Week five and Week seven games before being added to the 53-man roster on Halloween. This year he played seven snaps on offense and 20 snaps on special teams before suffering a hamstring injury in mid-November. He was placed on injured reserve on Thanksgiving Day, where he spent the remainder of the season.
In 2019 Edmunds played in 11 games and carried the ball 22 times for 92 yards and had six receptions for 48 yards. Edmunds also had an interception on a fake punt against the Los Angeles Rams, which at the time, allowed him to equal his brother’s career total for interceptions (1).
(Trey’s younger brother is Terrell Edmunds, who has been Pittsburgh’s starting strong safety since he was drafted in the first round in 2018.)
Two seasons ago Trey Edmunds spent 12 weeks on the team’s practice squad before being added to the 53-man roster in early December. He played in four games that year, almost exclusively on special teams.
OT Jarron Jones
Jarron Jones spent most of the 2020 season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad before being placed on the Practice Squad/Injured List in late December.
He signed with the Steelers during the 2020 offseason after playing for the New York Guardians of the XFL. After being waived in early September he rejoined the team via the practice squad.
Despite the fact that he didn’t see any game action, it was an eventful year for Jones. His father Matthew endured a months-long battle with COVID-19 that kept him in the hospital for 47 days and nearly took his life.
Then in early October Jones was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault. According to Pittsburgh Police, Jones was involved in a domestic disturbance in which he allegedly strangled his girlfriend, hit her in the face and struck her with a gaming console. After two continuances, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of April 13th in front of Magisterial District Judge Kim Berkeley Clark.
Jones originally entered the league with the New York Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft. He was released by the Giants and signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, switching from the defensive line to offensive line. Jones has also spent time on the practice squads of the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team and Detroit Lions.
He played defensive tackle at Notre Dame and recorded 59 tackles in his career, with 19.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Jarron has a younger brother, Jamir Jones, who also went to Notre Dame. Jamir, who plays outside linebacker, signed with the Houston Texans after going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft but was waived by the Texans in late July of last year.
The Steelers have now signed a total of four offensive tackles to Reserve/Futures contracts. In addition to Jones, Pittsburgh will be trying to develop Anthony Coyle (Fordham), Brandon Walton (Florida Atlantic) and John Leglue (Tulane).
Only one of this year’s offensive tackles is under contract for next season, that being Chuks Okorafor, who will be entering the last year of the rookie deal he signed in 2018.
Starting left tackle Alejandro Villanueva is a pending unrestricted free agent, as is right tackle Zach Banner, who is rehabbing from the torn ACL he suffered in the season opener against the New York Giants. Reserve tackle Jerald Hawkins is also a pending UFA.
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