Former Dallas Cowboys top pick Byron Jones offers cautionary tale to draft prospects
Former Dallas Cowboys’ 2015 first-round pick Byron Jones, who says he can no longer run or jump, offered a cautionary tale to prospective draft prospects in advance of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, which began Monday and runs through March 6 in Indianapolis.
Jones, now a member of the Miami Dolphins, says his NFL career came at “a regrettable cost” in response to a tweet from the official NFL account, which highlighted his word-record broad jump in 2015.
Jones criticized league medical staff and warned players to consult an “outside doctor” about the “long-term implications” of prescribed “pills” and “injections.”
“Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications,” Jones said in a quote tweet.
Jones added that “It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023.”
Jones was selected by the Cowboys with the No. 27 draft pick in 2015 and his exploits at the combine played a huge role in the formerly unknown prospect from the University of Connecticut going so high.
Jones played for the Cowboys from 2015 to 2019, making the Pro Bowl in 2018, before signing a five-year, $82 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Jones, 30, spent the 2022 season on the physically unable to perform list after having offseason lower-leg surgery to address ankle and Achilles issues.
His future in the NFL is uncertain.
