Julius Jones

Used in a committee, Jones ran for 698 yards last season, averaging a career-high 4.4 YPC. He’s not much of a receiver, and his touchdown potential is limited with little to no goal-line action. Still, with Maurice Morris gone and Seattle deciding not to draft a running back, Jones is looking at increased touches in 2009. T.J. Duckett is likely also to get more involved, and he’ll be the main option at the goal line. With a healthy Matt Hasselbeck and T.J. Houshmandzadeh now a Seahawk, the offense should be improved. However, the offensive line is in decline, and Jones can only do so much while carrying the ball between the 20s and offering nothing in the passing game.

Jones finished with a career-low in rushing yards (588), YPC (3.6) and touchdowns (two) last season despite starting for the NFC's most prolific offense. He now sports a pedestrian 3.9 YPC mark for his career and offers little as a receiver. Marion Barber outshined him and took most of the goal-line duties, but Jones has gone 6-of-21 there the past three seasons, so he's not incapable of short-yardage work. That could be huge in Seattle, because Shaun Alexander was let go, and coach Mike Holmgren has stated his distaste for using runners in such specific roles. In fact, Holmgren is considering moving T.J. Duckett to fullback, leaving only Maurice Morris as competition in Seattle's backfield. Morris is likely to see action on passing downs, however. Jones lacks vision and doesn't break many tackles, but he has good long-speed and has professed his love for Seattle's FieldTurf at Qwest Field. The Seahawks' offensive line isn't what it once was, but Holmgren's system always produces. With D.J. Hackett gone and Deion Branch injured, the team could also shift to a run-heavy offense this season. Because he's not a threedown back, Jones' upside is limited, but he does find himself in a nice situation to bounce back from last year's disaster.

Jones has had the majority of the work in the Dallas backfield the last two seasons, but he was outplayed by Marion Barber last year. Jones has better straight-ahead speed than Barber, but lacks toughness and receiving skills. Jones averaged only 3.9 YPC during the second half last season, caught just nine balls and struggled at the goal line, scoring once in eight attempts. With new coach Wade Phillips taking over, it’s unclear how Barber and Jones will split carries. Barber is the better blocker and pass catcher, but Jones took most of the first-team reps in spring minicamps, so he could still get the bulk of the carries. Barber should get most of the looks from in close, however.

Jones was expected to build on his great finish in 2004 and become the Cowboys feature back, but it was his injury problems and not his production that followed him forward into 2005. Two years ago it was a broken shoulder blade; last year, an ankle sprain held him back. Jones possesses the burst to get into the secondary and the speed to do some damage once he’s there, but at 5-11, 205, and having missed 11 games in his first two seasons, there are some legitimate durability concerns. With Marion Barber showing that he can produce at about the same rate as Jones, a time-share could be in the works in Dallas. Still, Jones, who reminds many of a young Curtis Martin in terms build and ability, is the more likely candidate to see the bulk of the carries, and if he stays healthy, could have a big year in a diverse offense with weapons ranging from Terrell Owens to Jason Witten to Terry Glenn.

After fracturing his shoulder early in the year and missing seven games, Jones returned with a vengeance, rushing for 851 yards and seven touchdowns in his final seven contests. Prorated over a full season, that’s 1,945 yards and 16 touchdowns, and though his three big games came against weak run defenses (Bears, Giants, Seahawks), those numbers also include matchups against the tough Redskins and Ravens. Jones has excellent quickness and good speed, and he has better hands than he displayed during his rookie season. But at 5-10, 205, he’s small for an NFL back, and he struggled around the goal line in 2004, converting just three of 12 carries from inside the five. Of course, it’s hard to make much of a sample size that small, and besides, Jones is roughly the same size as Curtis Martin and Emmitt Smith, who were both touchdown machines early in their careers. But generally speaking, smaller backs don’t move the pile, and this could be an issue for fantasy owners. Jones had some trouble staying healthy in college, and given his size and the shoulder injury last season, there’s some legitimate question about whether he’ll be able to carry a heavy NFL workload. Jones did a lot to answer that by holding up well during the brutal seven-game stretch where he averaged more than 27 carries per game.

Owners can project whatever they want to on the blank canvas that is an NFL rookie running back. This often leads to very poor value on draft day. Jones will be viewed as the next Curtis Martin. But unlike Martin, Jones is not a good blocker in pass protection and did have fumbling problems in college. Jones also isn’t regarded as a good receiver. Jones is a better athlete than Martin ever was and wowed coach Bill Parcells with his ability to break long runs. Still, the signing of Eddie George this past July complicates matters, and it's unclear yet how the two backs will split carries.