Former Football Captain Truman Jones Reflects on NFL Debut with New England Patriots

On Jan. 5, former Harvard Football captain and defensive end Truman Jones ’23 accomplished every young football player’s professional dream: taking the field in a regular season matchup for the first time in his career.

Ahead of their last regular season matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots signed Jones to the 53-man roster.

Jones described the experience as a major milestone in his professional career — and a goal he’d been pursuing for years.

“The emotions were just all over the place, but the main thing was just joy,” Jones said. “I remember looking around and just feeling myself smiling all game even though it was 30 degrees and pretty windy. I was in a good mood, in good spirits.”

“Now, being out here with a helmet on for the first time in an NFL game on a Sunday felt really special,” he added.“I was really taking it all in.”

Jones joined the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2023 following his graduation from Harvard. The 6-foot-3, 250 pound defensive end spent all of last season and part of this season with the reigning Super Bowl champions, winning a ring himself.

Jones, who was elevated from the practice squad, joined the Patriots on Dec. 3rd after being released from the Chiefs just a week earlier.

Despite not playing in the regular season with the Chiefs, Jones still appreciates the importance of his time with the organization and being a part of a winning culture.

“I was just enjoying gameday and that’s something that I think not playing on gamedays really teaches you for so long is just how to enjoy the moment, enjoy the atmosphere,” he said.

“I’m appreciative for Kansas City and my time there to really just teach me how to be a professional athlete, how to approach the game, how to study film, and just how to take care of your body kind of on and off the field,” Jones added. “I learned a lot of those things in Kansas City and felt like I adjusted there without necessarily having the pressure of having to play and then from there just seeing how the work and the preparation translates to success I think was a big thing.”

Switching organizations, learning a differing defensive scheme, and gelling with new teammates, is no easy feat, particularly in the middle of a season. Jones took the sudden change in stride and continued to adapt.

“I really just had to come into the organization like a sponge, leaned on guys,” Jones said, “I made sure to be attentive and be in every meeting, even extra meetings that weren’t on the schedule,” he said. “Then, it’s bringing the same attitude, the same mentality of practice: coming out there and showcasing my ability.”

Against the Bills, Jones played 19 snaps on the Patriots’ front four and recorded two tackles in his National Football League debut. Jones — who appeared in 28% of the team’s defensive snaps — contributed to the team’s 23-16 win over their divisional rival, moving the Patriots from the first to the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft.

The physicality and quickness of the NFL didn’t take Jones by surprise.

“The intensity was something that I definitely noticed when I first got to the league and just every play you have to be going 100 miles per hour and if you’re not, then it looks like you’re moving slow or you’re indecisive or you just don’t know what you’re doing,” he said.

Through his first two seasons, Jones has placed an extra emphasis on his preparation and attention to detail.

“Going from being a smart player and kind of thinking and feeling my way through things so now it’s like you can think pre-snap, but after a certain point, you have to turn your mind off and really just lock in and focus on being as explosive, as powerful, and as forceful as possible,” he said.

After making an active roster for the first time in his career, Jones hopes to carry momentum into the 2025 regular season, particularly in a weaker unit that ranked 27th in hurries and last in sacks this season.

Jones enters the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent, meaning that the Patriots are in a position to offer him a one year, league-minimum contract. If the Foxborough-based organization offers this tender, Jones would not be eligible to negotiate with other teams. However, if the Patriots decline to offer him an EFRA tender, Jones will become an unrestricted free agent.

Just over two years ago, Jones donned a number 90 Crimson jersey with a block “C” in the top left corner. The memories and lessons he learned in Cambridge still stick with him as he works his way up the ladder in the NFL.

“Being the captain at Harvard was just such a unique position, but I think one thing it taught me was how to lean on other people to lead and to get people on the same page and that’s something now, a skill that I feel like I have is just the ability to read a locker room to see who has been here the longest, and who knows what,” Jones said.

As a pass rusher for the Crimson, Jones appeared in 30 games and recorded 28.5 sacks along with 88 total tackles. In addition to leading the league in tackles for loss during his senior campaign, Jones was unanimously named to the All-Ivy League first team and won the Bushnell Cup, honoring the best defensive player in the Ivy League.

Now, Jones’ attention is immediately turning to the offseason, where he hopes to enjoy some time with family, but quickly get back to work ahead of the 2025 season.

“Every offseason is big just in terms of recovering the body, but then also becoming bigger, faster, and stronger,” he said. “I feel like now I have a clearer sense of what the Patriots are looking for in terms of a defensive end or outside linebacker, and so I can really just kinda transform my body to be that.”

— Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.