The Washington Commanders announced they have signed free agent linebacker Keandre Jones, who is a DMV native from Montgomery County.
Jones, who was eligible to sign as a free agent before the start of free agency because he was not signed to a team to finish last season, came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 with the Chicago Bears and played in eight games across three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jones attended Diamond Elementary School in Gaithersburg and then attended to Montgomery Village Middle School. He went to school and played his high school ball at Good Counsel in Olney. Initially he committed to the University of Maryland, but decided to head to Ohio State when the Terps passed over then-interim head coach Mike Locksley for the permanent gig.
He transferred to Maryland for his senior year, where Locksley had become the head coach. At Maryland he started at right outside linebacker. Jones led the defense in tackles for loss with 15, sacks with seven, and forced fumbles with three. Though he wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft, Jones signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He was waived by the Bears on September 3rd, prior to the start of the season, but signed to the Bengals practice squad just a few days later. He was with the Bengals until August 2023.