The Facts: It took only a season for Jones to jump from a rookie backup to a leader at running back for the Redskins. After the departure of Alfred Morris and a shoulder injury to Chris Thompson, Jones has guided the pack of young and hungry backs during offseason practices the past two weeks. The Redskins will be expecting a similar leap from the 23-year-old on the field despite a shaky first season. "I definitely want to show Redskins nation that I'm capable of being a No. 1 back all the time," Jones said. "That's the approach I take every day I touch the field to be great. Not necessarily just to show people, but I want to be great for myself anyways."

Diehards Line: As noted above, there were issues last season. Ball security was one. There were “leveling off” issues, as he described them, in which he didn’t burst through holes. There were inconsistency issues. Although Wednesday’s practice was non-contact, Post staffer Master Tesfatsion, Jones showed improvement in certain facets and room to grow in others during his continued development as a starting NFL running back. For example, Jones didn’t use his size to his advantage, listed at 6-1 and 231 pounds, and often either bounced runs outside the tackles or hesitated between the tackles. Jones gained 490 yards on 144 carries last year, but he felt he left a lot of yardage on the field. During the team’s first play in 11-on-11 drills, Jones veered right on a carry and exploded back inside to accelerate through a huge hole in the A gap. In addition, Jones feels more relaxed knowing what his role will be this season.