With the Texans signing Shane Lechler to be their new punter, former Houston punter Donnie Jones was out of a job. But, like seemingly all recent former Texans players, he has found his newest home in Philadelphia, as the Eagles announced they had signed Jones to a one-year deal.
And when Jones arrives in Philadelphia, he’ll know a few people, like former Houstonites Connor Barwin and James Casey.
As a result of the Jones signing, Philadelphia has released Mat McBriar.
“Donnie Jones is a guy that we have admired over the last several years,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a statement. “He has one of the strongest legs in the entire NFL, and we’re excited we had a chance to sign him. We watched a lot of tape on him, and he’s coming off a very good season with Houston. We feel he’ll add a good element to our special teams units.”
Jones is a two-time All-Pro who ranks 5th in NFL history in gross (45.6) and net punting average (39.0).
As for McBriar, Roseman said, “Mat was nothing but a consummate professional for us in 2012. He battled back from a tough injury situation to punt very well last year. We just decided to go in a different direction with Donnie, and we wish Mat and his family all the best as he continues his NFL career.”
