The New Orleans Saints have one of the best rushing one-two punches in the NFL in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
Kamara has been in NOLA since he was drafted in 2017 and Ingram re-joined the team this past season as the Houston Texans traded him for a seventh-round pick.
Behind Kamara and Ingram sits third-year running back Tony Jones Jr. The third-stringer signed with the Saints on April 27, 2020 as an undrafted free agent. He was a practice squad member for most of his first season before being elevated to the active roster for the 2021/22 season.
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While Jones Jr. sits behind two quality running backs, he mentioned how they set the standards high for him and motivate him to do even better.
Jones Jr. said:
"Those boys set the standard high, you know? Like those the OG’s of the group, you know?"
"Whatever they do, like, I try to strive to do that or more."
The youngster went on raving about how good of a mentor Ingram is, being like another coach, adding:
"Like Mark really helps me on and off the field. Mark helps me with film, Mark helps me when I make a mistake, and he helps me go on to the next and he tells me what I did wrong or what I did right. Mark’s kind of like another coach for all of us."
Saints Tony Jones Jr. saw his first action last season in his second-year in the NFL
The running back spent his time in college at Notre Dame before the Saints took a flyer on him.
As a rookie, he spent much of his time on the practice squad before being called up to the active roster. He recorded 142 rushing yards last season, along with 29 receiving yards.
With a potential suspension looming for Kamara, and with Ingram getting older, Jones Jr. might get the chance to establish himself as a viable backup moving forward.
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