Ben Jones Back After Lesson in 'Patience'

The Tennessee Titans center had to wait out the effects of a concussion, which caused him to miss two games. He will play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

NASHVILLE – The man in the middle of the Tennessee Titans offense will return to action on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Center Ben Jones hopes he can help the team’s running game return to form as well.

Jones has cleared concussion protocol after missing the Titans’ last two games – a win at Green Bay and a loss to Cincinnati.

The Titans have struggled to run the ball for three straight contests, averaging 2.7 yards per carry against Denver, 2.8 yards against Green Bay and 3.0 yards against the Bengals. Derrick Henry carried 17 times for just 38 yards against Cincinnati.

“We’ve got to start fast,” Jones said. “We’ve got to get ahead of the sticks, and (get to) where we want to be on third down. We want to play third down on our terms. We know (the Eagles) got a good front, so we’ve got to start fast and play on our terms.”

The 33-year-old Jones said sitting out two straight games was very difficult, especially considering he’d missed only one previous game (in 2019) during his 10 previous NFL seasons.

“Yeah, I’m just happy to be back,” Jones said. “God definitely taught me some patience. You can’t push through some things. You want to be out there with your friends and family. It hurt not being out there. It shook me up, but I’m happy to be back with my family and out there and ready to play.”

Jones said it looked as if he might be able to play against the Bengals, but that he was ultimately unable to clear protocol.

He appreciated Titans coach Mike Vrabel’s patience with the situation.

“I’m extremely grateful to have a guy like that,” Jones said. “He’s in your corner. He knows you want to be out there and he’s looking for your best interest. Because you want to be out there no matter what. He understands this process. He knows your body is not ready yet. He doesn’t want to put you in a bad situation.”

Jones’ return will move Aaron Brewer back to his starting left guard position.

“(Jones) means a lot to the football team,” Vrabel said. “His ability to make calls and settle everybody own. We need everybody we can get. Ben is certainly a leader and such a large part of our football team. Not just on the offense. He’s into the games. He knows what’s going on. He knows what the gameplan is and what the keys are in all three phases.”