HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have signed unrestricted free agent P Donnie Jones, it was announced today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Jones ranks fourth all-time among NFL punters with a 45.3-yard gross average and a 38.8 net average in eight NFL seasons. The former LSU punter was selected by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played in seven games with the Seahawks in 2004 before serving as the Miami Dolphins' punter from 2005-06. Jones spent the last five seasons with the St. Louis Rams.
Jones' 50.0 gross average in 2008 led the NFL and was the highest gross average since 1940 at the time. He owns two of the top nine single-season net punting averages in NFL history, ranking fourth with a 41.7 average in 2009 and ninth with a 41.1 average in 2008. Jones earned second team All-Pro recognition in 2008 and 2009 and has placed 198 of his 648 career punts inside the 20-yard line.
