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Arizona Cardinals: 5 former draft picks who excelled elsewhere

By Sion Fawkes

26 Nov 1995: Runningback Garrison Hearst of the Arizona Cardinals runs down the field during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Cardinals won the game 40-37. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
26 Nov 1995: Runningback Garrison Hearst of the Arizona Cardinals runs down the field during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Cardinals won the game 40-37. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /
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Five Arizona Cardinals draft picks who excelled in other cities: Player #4: Thomas Jones, RB

Jones played in the desert for three seasons and never reached 600 rushing yards in a single season. He was so bad that he scored just nine total touchdowns and logged no higher than 3.7 yards per carry. After a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jones went to Chicago and New York, where he rushed for over 1,100 yards between 2005 and 2009.

His most memorable season came for the Jets in 2009, when he rushed for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. The previous season, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns.

While Jones was never good enough to be considered an NFL Hall of Famer, he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2008 and set a single-season franchise record with 14 touchdowns in 2009. Jones finished his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, where he rushed for a respectable 896 yards and six touchdowns in 2010.

Jones also appeared in the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears in 2006. And he was the driving force behind the team’s run-heavy approach that season, recording 1,210 rushing yards and six touchdowns. As a result, Jones is also part of the 10,000 rushing yard club, something only a handful of backs in NFL history can claim. At the time of his retirement, he was the 25th player in the game’s history to reach the milestone.

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