ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders training camp is full of compelling story lines -- maybe none better than a hometown guy trying to make the team.
Keandre Jones, a graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel high school in Olney, Maryland, is trying to do just that.
As happens in football, Jones was released by the Cincinnati Bengals after four years with the team. Now, he hopes for a fresh start playing for the team he grew up watching.
“I mean me being from the area, from Maryland, it's a blessing to come back and to be a part of the changing culture,” Jones said after Tuesday’s practice. “With DQ and Coach Witt, guys that believe in their players, that's exciting, man.”
Some say playing professional sports in the place you grew up can be distracting, but not Jones.
“I think it's a blessing,” Jones said. “You have your family there. You have your friends. You have all the supporters that seen you grow up since I was in high school at Good Counsel. So, it's cool just to come back and bring that winning culture here.”
Jones, a linebacker, considers himself an “old school” player. Among other things, that means he’s among a small group of players practicing without what’s known as a “guardian cap,” which is a soft-shell helmet cover designed to reduce impact and head injuries like concussions. For the first time this year, the NFL has cleared players to wear guardian caps in games as well as practice. Jones won’t be among them.
“I mean, playing football in general is a violent game, so I'm excited they bring player safety to the forefront,” Jones said. “But me, as a linebacker, I'm old school, so I think I'm good without the guardian cap. But I'm all for player safety.
Jones admitted the bulky look of the guardian cap is part of the issue.
“It was a style thing wearing these big old guardian caps,” Jones said. “You want to go out there. You want to look good, feel good, so it was like, I don't know about wearing that because I want to look good.”
Jones hopes to join a linebacker group that will be the heart and soul of Dan Quinn’s defense. It features a couple a big-name free agent signings already, including Bobby Wagner. Playing well in preseason games, like Saturday's game against the Dolphins, will be critical if Jones is going to make this team.
Another underdog trying to make the Commanders roster is safety Tyler Owens, a defensive back who played at Texas and Texas Tech.
“I've been putting in the work, so I'm just coming out here to show that to everybody,” Owens said after Tuesday’s practice. “I definitely feel like an underdog. Feel like a lot of people passed up on me and I took that personal.”
Owens said making the team would “mean the world to me.”
“I'm just going to keep working, you know, just keep trying to get better and just make this team better," the defensive back said.
Owens said his first phone call if he makes the Commanders would be to his parents.