Charlie Jones (American football, born 1998)
Charlie Jones (born October 29, 1998) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo, Iowa, and Purdue. In 2022, he was named as an All-American. Early life and high school
Jones grew up in Deerfield, Illinois and attended Deerfield High School. He committed to play college football at Buffalo over offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and Wyoming. College career

Buffalo 
Jones began his collegiate career at Buffalo. He redshirted his true freshman season. As a redshirt freshman, Jones caught 18 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns and returned 15 kickoffs for 289 yards. Jones said he "liked it at Buffalo" where he "got to learn a lot as a young player" but, after star players Tyree Jackson, Anthony Johnson and K. J. Osborn either declared for the NFL draft or transferred, Jones also entered the transfer portal. He felt he could "play against the best of the best" and expected to receive scholarship offers from more prestigious programs but received none. Nonetheless, he chose to transfer to Iowa where he felt "walk-ons traditionally get a fair chance." Iowa 
Jones joined the Iowa Hawkeyes as a walk-on and sat out his first season at Iowa due to NCAA transfer rules. He entered his first season at Iowa as the team's primary punt returner. Jones finished the 2020 season with 21 punt returns for 221 yards and one touchdown and was named second team All-Big Ten Conference as a returner by the league's coaches. He was also awarded a scholarship during the season. As a redshirt senior, Jones was named first team All-Big Ten and the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year after he returned 37 punts for 285 yards and also returned 25 kickoffs for 635 yards and one touchdown. He was also a starter at receiver for the Hawkeyes and had 21 receptions for 323 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, Jones entered the NCAA transfer portal. Purdue 
Jones ultimately transferred to Purdue for his final season of eligibility. At Purdue, Jones caught 110 passes for a school-record 1,361 yards. Following the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game, Jones decided to forgo participation in the 2023 Citrus Bowl and prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Statistics

Professional career

Jones was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round, 131st overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. In the Bengals' Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Jones would score his first NFL touchdown on an 81-yard punt return, scoring the Bengals' their first touchdown of the 2023 season. He suffered a thumb injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2023. References

External links
Buffalo Bulls bio
Iowa Hawkeyes bio
Purdue Boilermakers bio

1998 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
Buffalo Bulls football players
Purdue Boilermakers football players
Iowa Hawkeyes football players
People from Deerfield, Illinois
American football return specialists
Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois
Players of American football from Lake County, Illinois
Cincinnati Bengals players