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Former Iowa, Purdue star Charlie Jones rips off electric 100-yard TD

Bryce Lazenby

By Bryce Lazenby

Published:

Former Iowa and Purdue star Charlie Jones wasted no time getting his Cincinnati Bengals on the board in NFL Week 7. The speedy wide receiver and return specialist fielded the opening kickoff in Cleveland and returned it to the house for a 100-yard touchdown.

This was Jones’ 1st kickoff return TD in his NFL career. Jones did return a punt for an 81-yard TD in 2023 as a rookie. The B1G product is developing into one of the NFL’s most reliable returners.

Jones got to midfield before even being touched, and then the returner had to outrace 2 Browns’ defenders to get the score. The former Big Ten star fought through the tackle at around the 10-yard line and was able to stay in bounds and jump into the end zone.

The score put the Bengals up 7-0 immediately in the AFC North showdown.

Jones had a college career that included 3 seasons at Buffalo, 3 at Iowa, and 1 at Purdue. He would be named a Second-team All-American in 2022 and was the Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year in 2021.

As a receiver, Jones ended his college career with 149 catches for 2,079 yards and 18 TDs and was productive as a returner with 1 kickoff return TD and 1 punt return TD.

The playmaker was a 4th-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 NFL Draft. In the NFL, Jones has been almost exclusively used as a returner.

As a rookie, Jones averaged 10.8 yards per punt return. In 2024, Jones has also been used on kick returns, and after Week 7, it would seem likely that the job is Jones’ for the foreseeable future.

Bryce Lazenby

Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Tradition. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.