In 2017, Jones burst onto the scene as a rookie, establishing himself as an explosive runner in his first season. The fifth-round draft pick out of Texas-El Paso had a nice game in relief of Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams in week four against the Bears, running 13 times for 49 yards and a touchdown, but it was a three-game stretch from week 5 to week 7 that defined his rookie year, wherein he had two games of 125 rushing yards or more.
Despite giving way to Williams with an injury over the second half of that season, Jones finished the year with 448 rushing yards on 81 carries, an average of 5.