[2] As a junior, he sustained a broken ankle early in the season, but still managed to rack up 800 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns.

He was named the Tulsa World Player of the Year following his senior season, after rushing for 2,282 yards and 48 touchdowns, leading his squad to a 13-1 record and a state runner-up finish.

[21] Jones alongside McFadden and Peyton Hillis, it was the first time in school history that two different running backs rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the same season.

However, Jones decided to forgo his senior season to enter the 2008 NFL draft where numerous publications projected him to be taken in the first or second round.

[38][39] Looking to acquire a running back who could complement the bruising style of starter Marion Barber, the Dallas Cowboys selected Jones in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft (22nd overall).

[43] The decision process for his selection was captured in the fourth season (2008) of HBO's Hard Knocks series.

[45] On September 15, during a Monday Night Football game versus the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of a 41–37 win, which earned him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

During his recovery process he also suffered a torn ligament in his left toe and was placed on the injured reserve list on November 20.

[50] In his second season, Jones received more carries per game and against the New York Giants he rushed seven times for 96 yards and a touchdown.

[51] After never rushing for more than nine carries in a professional game, Jones reached the double digit mark against the Carolina Panthers, where he also had his first career start in place of an injured Barber, recording eight carries for 94 yards (11.8) and one reception for 20 yards, but also suffered a sprained PCL in his left knee during the third quarter that ended his day and would make him miss two additional games.

[58] In the first Cowboys playoff win since 1996,[59] playing against the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round, Jones led the team with 16 carries for 148 yards (including a 73-yard touchdown run) and a 30-yard reception.

[61] In 2010, Jones bulked up to 225 pounds in order to improve his durability and was officially moved to the top of the depth chart at running back.

[69] Jones missed the entire 2012 offseason workouts because of shoulder surgery and failed the conditioning test at the start of training camp.

[70][71] Used in a change-of-pace back role, Jones' best game came against the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, when he replaced an injured Murray and finished with 18 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown in the 31–29 loss.

On May 14, 2013, Jones signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles who were looking for him to backup LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown.

[74] After being passed on the depth chart by Chris Polk, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for linebacker Adrian Robinson on August 23.

[75] The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Jones for depth purposes, while rookie Le'Veon Bell was recovering from a mid-foot sprain.

[77] Jones lost the starter role the next week against the Chicago Bears, where he had seven carries for 34 yards and was benched after a costly third quarter fumble.