Thomas Jones

Featured back of the 2006 NFC champions, now an actor.

Thomas Jones (born 1978) is a former NFL running back and actor who spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2006 and ran for 112 yards in Super Bowl XLI. A consensus All-American at Virginia and the seventh pick of the 2000 draft, he retired in the top 25 rushers in league history.

Quick Facts

Number: 26, 22, 20
Position: Running back
Born: 19 August 1978
Birthplace: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, U.S.
High school: Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap)
College: Virginia (1996–1999)
Draft year: 2000
Draft round: 1

Facts from the source article.

Background

Jones signed with Chicago as a free agent in 2004 for his first chance as a featured back and ran for 948 yards and seven touchdowns. Heading into 2005 he expected to share the work after the Bears spent their top draft pick on running back Cedric Benson, but a long holdout kept Benson from pushing him for playing time. After a poor opening performance against the Washington Redskins defense, Jones recovered to finish the season with 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns, and he stayed on the field to help the line pass-block for Rex Grossman.

He skipped the voluntary program in 2006, lost his starting spot to Benson after a camp hamstring injury, then got it back when Benson hurt his shoulder colliding with Brian Urlacher. In the two-back attack that followed, Jones gained 1,210 yards to Benson's 647, and he and his brother Julius became the first brothers to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. In the playoffs he scored twice against Seattle and then ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the 39-14 NFC Championship Game win over New Orleans, a Bears postseason record, carrying on every play of a 69-yard drive for the first touchdown.

In the Super Bowl he averaged 7.5 yards a carry with a 52-yard run, Chicago's longest of the season, but the Bears called only 15 runs in the 29-17 loss. He later played for the Jets and Chiefs, was nominated for the Hall of Fame class of 2020, and since 2013 has acted as Thomas Q. Jones in Straight Outta Compton and the Luke Cage series.