Cash Jones keeps giving the Falcons reasons to think bigger than the usual RB3 conversation.
Atlanta’s crowded backfield has been one of the quieter camp stories with real intrigue, and the undrafted Georgia product has made himself impossible to ignore. After working as a receiver during OTAs and minicamp, Jones shifted back to running back once training camp started so the Falcons could evaluate him in the backfield mix.
That move put him right into a three-man fight for the third running back spot behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., alongside Nate Carter and Tyler Goodson. Carter had the job last season and flashed enough burst in the preseason to claim it.
Goodson arrived on a one-year deal after three seasons backing up Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis and has also drawn attention all summer. But in Atlanta’s 31-6 preseason win over the Colts on Saturday, Jones was the one who stood out.
The biggest thing he showed was that he can do more than one job. Jones led the Falcons with four catches and 62 receiving yards, and he scored his first NFL touchdown on a flat route from Jack Strand that he turned into a 13-yard trip to the end zone. He added catches of 21 and 22 yards on Atlanta’s final possession, the kind of plays that turn a routine check-down into a real gain.
That receiving ability isn’t new. At Georgia, Jones was more of a threat in the passing game than as a runner, and he actually finished with more catches than carries down the stretch of his career. Still, he backed that up with a solid day on the ground too, finishing with seven carries for 41 yards, a 5.9 yards-per-carry average.
The most important wrinkle in this competition may not even be what Jones does with the ball. Special teams could decide the whole thing. If the Falcons believe he can handle snaps at receiver, help out as a runner when needed, and cover kicks the way KhaDarel Hodge did, that gives him a much stronger case than any one-position battle would.
Nobody is projecting Jones to win the RB3 job cleanly right now. If this were only about running between the tackles, Carter and Goodson would likely have the edge. But roster spots 46 through 53 usually go to the player who can fill the most needs, and Jones keeps stacking those kinds of arguments.
With two national championship rings, experience at two skill positions, and a staff that’s clearly pushing him mentally, he doesn’t look like the kind of player who fades away quietly. Atlanta still has bigger roster questions elsewhere, especially at right tackle and quarterback, but in the running back room, the decision may come down to who the Falcons can’t afford to lose.
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