Notre Dame football: Houston Texans sign Jamir Jones

Following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans signed former Notre Dame defensive end, Jamir Jones, to an undrafted free agent contract.

Things did not go as planned this past season at Notre Dame for former Irish defensive end Jamir Jones. The plan was for Jones to play the maximum four games allowed for him to preserve his eligibility status for the 2020 season. He would be used in a reserve role and come back in 2020 to hopefully have a season that would make him a target for NFL teams in the 2021 NFL Draft.

However, after injuries decimated the Notre Dame defensive line last season, Jones was pressed into action late in the year and as a result, surpassed the four-game limit, which left him ineligible to return to South Bend in 2020.

As a result, Jamir Jones would enter his name in the 2020 NFL Draft. Due to the abbreviated season, Jones was omitted from the invite list to the NFL Combine. He had hoped to showcase his talents in front of NFL scouts and executives during Notre Dame’s Pro Day but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pro Day event was canceled. Since he was unable to participate in either event, NFL teams were forced to go off of the limited game film they had on Jones from his time with the Irish.

It is not surprising that Jamir Jones was not drafted in what was a historically deep NFL Draft. The fact that Jones went undrafted should not be seen as an indictment of his abilities, as he certainly has the skill set to be an asset on an NFL roster.

Jones was seen as a highly athletic player when he was recruited to play football at Notre Dame, as he starred not only on the gridiron at the Aquinas Institute in Rochester, New York but was also a star lacrosse player for them as well.

The older brother of Jamir Jones, Jarron Jones (a former Notre Dame football player as well), was recently signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers following an abbreviated season in the XFL, where he was a first-round draft pick of the New York Guardians. There is clearly a strong football pedigree in the Jones family.

Given the athletic prowess that Jamir Jones brings to the Houston Texans, it would not be surprising to see him make the 53-man roster for the team. This is especially true given the track record that Jones had as an excellent special teams contributor with Notre Dame. It is likely that Jones would be featured as a special teams contributor with the Texans while they work to further develop his skill set as a defensive lineman.