Benjamin Jones (born July 2, 1989) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. He was selected by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the fourth round of the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

Early life

A native of

Centreville, Alabama Centreville is a city and the county seat of Bibb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,800. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Centreville has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.52 ...

, Jones attended

Bibb County High School Bibb County High School (BCHS) is a public high school in Centreville, Alabama Centreville is a city and the county seat of Bibb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,800. Geography According to the ...

, where he was a two-way lineman and team captain. He paved the way for running back

Zac Stacy Zachary Latrell Stacy (born April 9, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the St. Lo ...

, who rushed for 1,666 yards and 24 touchdowns. Regarded as a three-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...

, Jones was listed as the No. 7 center prospect in his class. Despite living only an hour away from

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

, Jones grew up a Georgia Bulldog fan.

College career

Jones became the Bulldog starting center three games into his freshman season (at No. 24

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

), after Chris Davis was moved to left guard. The centerpiece of a young offensive line, Jones helped protect quarterback

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Georg ...

, who threw for 3,459 yards (second most in school history) and 25 touchdowns (single-season record), while also clearing the way for running back

Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs football, Geor ...

(1,400 rushing yards). As a senior in 2011, Jones was named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

Professional career

Pre-draft

Jones was considered one of the top center prospects for the

. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' ranked him second among center prospects, behind only Peter Konz.

Houston Texans

Jones was drafted in the fourth round by the

. He was one of only three centers selected, the other two being Konz and

David Molk David Michael Molk (born December 15, 1988) is an American former professional football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Molk played college football for the Michiga ...

. Jones was expected to back up Pro Bowl center

Chris Myers Chris Myers (born ) is an American sportscaster for FOX Sports. He has covered the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the NCAA Final Four, The Masters, the U.S. Open, the Triple Crown, the Olympics and the Daytona 500. Early l ...

while also seeing time at guard. Starting in Week 7 of the 2012 NFL season against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, Jones became the starting right guard for the Texans.

Tennessee Titans

On March 10, 2016, Jones signed a four-year contract with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. In 2016, he started all 16 games for Titans as they finished with a 9-7 record, from a 3-13 record the previous season. He blocked for

Demarco Murray DeMarco Murray (born February 12, 1988) is an American college football coach and former professional player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time first-team ...

as the latter led the AFC in rushing yards. In 2017, Jones remained the starting center for the Titans, starting all 16 regular season games; the team finished with another 9-7 record and qualified for the playoffs. Jones started in the AFC Wild Card game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, blocking for

Derrick Henry Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. (born January 4, 1994) is an American professional football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "King Henry", he is known for his imposing style of play and larger build t ...

as the latter ran for 157 yards in a 22-21 comeback win; the Titans were in a 22-3 deficit at halftime. He also started the Divisional Round game against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, which resulted in a 35-14 loss. In 2018, Jones started all 16 regular season games for the Titans, who finished with a third consecutive 9-7 record. He blocked for Derrick Henry as he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month in December, running for 585 yards in the final four games of the season, including running for a career-high 238 yards and four touchdowns in a 30-9 week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ben Jones 2019 10-13

Jones signed a two-year, $13.5 million contract extension with the Titans on August 30, 2019. In 2019, Jones started 15 regular season games, missing the week 9 game against the Carolina Panthers with a concussion. The Titans finishing with a fourth consecutive 9-7 record, with Jones blocking for Derrick Henry as he won the NFL rushing yards title. The Titans qualified for the playoffs, making it to the AFC conference championships and losing to eventual Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. Jones started all three playoff games, and blocked for Henry as he ran for nearly 200 yards in each of the first two games. In 2020, Jones started all 16 games in the regular season and blocked for Henry as he won his second rushing yards title and was named Offensive Player of the Year by becoming the eighth player in NFL history to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season. The Titans won the AFC South with an 11-5 record. In the playoffs, Jones started for the Titans as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the wildcard round. On March 15, 2022, Jones signed a two-year, $14 million contract extension with the Titans. He was placed on injured reserve on December 22, 2022. In January 2023, Jones was named as a replacement player for Creed Humphrey to the

2023 Pro Bowl The 2023 Pro Bowl Games (branded as the 2023 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon for sponsorship reasons) was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2022 NFL season. For the first time, the event consisted of skills competitions and ...

, his first Pro Bowl. On March 10, 2023, Jones was released by the Titans.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ben 1989 births Living people People from Centreville, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football centers Georgia Bulldogs football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Tennessee Titans players American Conference Pro Bowl players