The Green Bay Packers are signing former Vanderbilt cornerback Marlon Jones, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Jones beat Stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer that caused him to miss a full season of collegiate action.
After returning to the field in 2025, Jones had a fairly limited impact with the Commodores. He appeared in nine games, starting one of them.
During that stint, Marlon Jones racked up nine tackles. But his ability as a player was on full display at Eastern Washington before that, from 2019-2023. Jones transferred to Vanderbilt ahead of the 2024 season.
But before he could suit up for the Commodores — before he had even reached campus, actually — he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma. Vanderbilt stuck by him, eventually getting him back on the field after he battled and beat the disease.
“Of course, it crushed me. I was sad. I was scared,” Jones told the New York Times. “But at no point did I think I was going to lose my life. That’s a credit to my faith, I just believed and trusted in God’s plan. I knew He didn’t cause me to have this, but He was going to use it for good. The only thing I was really worried about was football.”
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As a result, Marlon Jones is now starting to realize a life-long dream. He’ll get an opportunity to impress the Packers and potentially even make the roster.
So about those accolades… Jones was a first-team All-Big Sky selection with Eastern Washington in 2023. He started 11 games and finished with 35 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, three interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, seven passes defended and four pass breakups that season.
He can really play. That was evidenced by his lengthy college career.
Marlon Jones finished with 168 career tackles, 7.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble, nine interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, 23 passes defended and 14 pass breakups. The production speaks for itself.
He’s one of the feel-good stories in football. Now he’ll get his shot in the NFL.
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