FLOWERY BRANCH – Fans love to latch onto undrafted free agents during this time of year. Not only are they the easy-to-root-for underdog story, but fans also relish the idea that their team uncovered the hidden gem that the rest of the league missed.In Flowery Branch, there are several players who could fit that description for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. None more so than former Georgia running back turned wide receiver, Cash Jones. The local ties are obvious – he played five seasons with the hometown Bulldogs, where he won a pair of national championships – but the path to the professional level is also something that fans will find a way to root for. Unlike nearly every other player running around the fields at Flowery Branch and across the NFL, Jones was never a true starter at the collegiate level. Instead, he was a man of many hats for Georgia. He was the third-down back, responsible for catching passes out of the backfield, executing his blocking assignments, and making reads. On special teams, he was a Swiss Army knife who could be deployed in several different ways, whether as a gunner or a return man. When it comes down to the players on the roster bubble, they either must be able to do one thing better than anyone else on the roster or do just about everything as well as anyone else on the roster. It’s a fine line that professionals walk, but one that Jones could find himself excelling in.Since versatility is his best trait, it just might earn him a roster spot this summer. We learned a few weeks back from fellow rookie Zachariah Branch, his former Georgia teammate, that the running back is shifting to the slot receiver position. The news came as a bit of a surprise, but head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that update on Tuesday.“I think this is a very, very smart football player,” the head coach said. “Obviously, UGA fans know the type of player he is, and the plays that he's made over the course of his career. I'm so impressed with who he is as a person. The intelligence part of this, you can't just have a guy go from running back to wide receiver or vice versa, if they're not intelligent. I think Cash has shown that he's able to do that.” While he was listed as a running back, Jones did the most damage with his hands. He caught 44 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns over his final two seasons in Athens, compared to just 42 rushing yards in that same span.But Jones’ primary attribute is his special teams acumen. He was a regular contributor for the Bulldogs in that regard, and it is the best path forward. Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman was a regular part of the pre-draft process, and he contributed analysis on players’ fit within his vision for his unit. He was clearly involved in scouting and evaluating Jones, as evidenced by this response to a question after the second day of OTAs. “I think one of the things that you look at in Cash is he’s a smart and instinctual football player,” Aukerman said Tuesday. “That’s one of the biggest things that we saw on film at Georgia. Obviously, he got some time in at running back, but you saw him on special teams doing a bunch of really good things. “That’s really what we liked about him. We saw that smart instinctual player that can be versatile and play a bunch of different positions on special teams, like he did there at Georgia.” Jones clearly has plenty of fans, both on the roster and in the coaching staff. Another former Georgia teammate and current locker-mate, Jalon Walker, gushed when he was asked about the running back-turned wide receiver. “It’s just great to have him here,” the former first-round pick said. “An absolute blessing and honor to have him on our team.” But the player is a malleable piece, and the Falcons can take advantage of that. Players like KhaDarel Hodge have built solid careers in the NFL because of their ability to find a role and perform it well. In Atlanta, Jones will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself, and that might just be enough to help him stick. “We're going to continue to work him in different spots, including special teams, which is a big part for any player trying to make a roster, and certainly in this case for Cash,” Stefanski said. But I definitely see him as someone who can line up in multiple spots. If you are multiple and if you're versatile, you give yourself a chance in this league.” Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow