Call me crazy, but I have a method to my madness. “Third String” QB Cardale Jones has become a household name two starts into his redshirt sophomore season. Jones and the Buckeyes will face off against the Oregon Ducks in the National Championship Game next Monday, and Jones will look to be the fourth backup quarterback to win a National Championship. When looking at Jones play, he doesn’t resemble a third string quarterback. Jones has the highest upside comparing him to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, because he has a NFL arm. There is a reason why Jones is called 12 Gauge, and that is reason is because he has a cannon or an arm.
Jones has played two of the toughest games of his career and he excelled mightily in those games. In his third game, it may be the biggest stage he may ever play on. Nobody knew what to expect when J.T. Barrett went down to injury, but I know for a fact that if you are a backup QB at Ohio State you are probably better than most QBs in the country…..well maybe not Joe Bauserman or Todd Boeckman, but you get where I am going. Prior to the season, Jones was the No.2 QB behind Braxton Miller, and J.T. Barrett eventually unseated Jones for the backup QB spot. When Miller went down with a shoulder injury, Barrett was up next, while Jones waited patiently. Talent has never been an issue with Jones. Attitude and immaturity has been, but in his case all he needed was an opportunity and he is flourishing as the STARting QB.
Many “experts” felt like Jones would be a deer in headlights versus Alabama, and he was during the first few series of the game. Jones started off 0/5 and finished the game a solid 18/35 for 243 yards 1TD and 1INT. Those numbers don’t scream NFL QB, but the way that Jones carried himself on the field and made plays when it mattered did scream NFL QB. Against Wisconsin Jones was flawless racking up 259 passing yards with 3 TDs against one of the top scoring defenses in the country. Two games is a small sample size, but in those two games, Jones showed that he can play with the big boys.
Three huge reasons why NFL teams would love Jones:
He has prototypical size standing at 6’5 250lbs, he has a cannon for an arm, and he is more mobile than what he is given credit for. (see videos below).
Jones is four years removed from high school, and is in his third year at Ohio State (redshirted as a freshman at OSU and went to Fork Union Military School prior to that). It would honestly suck to be a backup to a team that you led to a championship, and it would make zero sense to transfer to unless he didn’t have to sit out a year. Just sit there and think about it for a second…….Coming back to OSU being a backup or a third string quarterback to J.T. Barrett or Braxton Miller, and you have to take into consideration that 4star recruit Torrance Gibson is coming to Columbus to play quarterback as well. It’s still early to say what the next move should be, but it makes sense to bolt for the NFL.
Jones would get an invite to the NFL combine where he can be a workout warrior, and he can display his maturity and high football IQ in interviews with teams. It also helps that Pro Days are curtailed to benefit the player, and I am sure that Urban Meyer would do all he can do display the raw talent of Jones. If it were up to me, I would rather sit on a NFL bench for a few seasons to learn to be a predecessor to someone or be a lifelong backup QB. Matt Cassell has made over $60 Million Dollars in his NFL career, and he played a handful of games at USC. I think that Jones should really consider it, but he has to help beat Oregon first.
This wouldn’t be the first time that a NFL team took a chance on a raw and unproven player, and in this case, why not Cardale Jones.
Agree totally. Plus he’ll get exposed if he returns because he was 3rd string for a reason.