Philadelphia Eagles: Finally a champion, Donnie Jones is calling it a career

After spending 14 years in the league, Philadelphia Eagles punter Donnie Jones is calling it a career after winning Super Bowl 52.

While far from the face of the franchise, few players have been more consistent for the Philadelphia Eagles than punter Donnie Jones, and after playing 14 seasons in the NFL, he’s going out on top, as a Super Bowl champion.

Though he was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, Donnie Longball took to the City of Brotherly Love in a way that few other players have, and quickly became a fixture in the community. Whether it be for his rocketing punts, his interesting nicknames (like Donnie “Bag-of-Bones” Jones) or his Sunday morning Inside the Season television show with former Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos, Jones’ charisma was infectious both on the field and off it, and helped to turn the Eagles special teams unit into one of the leagues best over his five year tenure.

And while it’s sad to see him go, at least he gets to leave a champion.

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Though Jones played for a number of good teams over his 14 year career, including stops in Seattle, Houston, St. Louis and Miami, a Lombardi Trophy always eluded the former LSU Tiger, at least until the 2017 season, when he and the rest of the Eagles finally brought the big one home to South Philly.

I mean sure, I bet he wished he’d had an opportunity to punt the ball more than once in what would end up being his final game as a pro, but hey, a win’s a win, and after 14 seasons, I’m sure he’s content with his time in the NFL.

With Jones now out of the picture, Dave Fipp will have to find a new punter for the first time in his tenure with the team, completing the overhaul of a special teams unit that also includes recent additions Jake Elliott and Rick Lovato. While going young at any position is never a bad thing, it’ll be interesting to see how the team not only replaces Jones’ leg, but also his leadership.

If the Eagles want to find a replacement in-house, they do have another punter under contract in second-year Australian punter Cameron Johnston. The Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2016, Johnston punted the ball 211 times as a four-year starter for Ohio State for almost 10,000 yards and looked primed to challenge Jones for his roster spot in last season’s training camp. Though Jones ultimately retained his spot, the race was close enough that the Eagles kept Johnston in the fold, and signed him to a futures contract going into 2018, an incredibly smart move in retrospect.

Additionally, the team could also target one of the many great punters coming out in the 2018 NFL Draft, like ex-Florida Gator Johnny Townsend. At 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, Townsend not only has a monster leg, averaging 46.2 yards per punt in Gainsville, but is also a willing tackler who can add yet another big body barreling down the field towards unsuspecting punt returners.

And just like Jones, Townsend is a lefty. While this may not seem like a big deal, the majority of the team’s in the NFL have right-footed punters, and seldom prepare for the opposite trajectory. While this change may only affect a few returns a year, any advantage helps, especially on special teams.

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But regardless of which punter the Philadelphia Eagles decide to go with in 2018, Donnie Jones’ presence will sorely be missed moving forward. A model of professionalism, Jones was among the best players in the league at his position over the last five-years, and now, finally gets to hang up his cleats as a Super Bowl champion.

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