Lets not forget that Jones was a total bust in Arizona.
After 4 years in the NFL his best season was 627 rushing yards (and he averaged less than 500 a season in his first 4)
Yes he has run for 1300 and 1200 the last 2 seasons, in Chicago backed by an excellent OL, and an excellent defense (both better than he will be supported by this year)
The Jet OL blocked their way to 3.5 yards per carry last year. And while you can attribute ypc to rb as well as OL, its ludicrous to think the Jet OL is as good as the Bears.
To say Jones is a lock for 1300 or 1400 yards with a worse OL, and a worse defense (meaning he wont be killing the clock like he did in Chicago) when he has run for 1300 yards exactly once in his 8 year career is very dubious, IMO. He will also be playing against much better competition than seeing the Lions, Packers, and Vikings twice a year, plus 6 other games against the weak NFC.
The guy is also 29 years old (at the start of the season) not far from the point where RBs start to decline, and his team---Super Bowl contenders---pretty much didnt want him back (based on what they accepted for trade value).
Somehow, he is being touted as Earl Campbell in his prime around here, when in fact, he is a guy who couldn't cut it and wasnt a starter his first 5 years, then had 2-3 pretty decent seasons in one of the best RB situations in the NFL.
I think Jones will be a surprise this year, but the surprise will be that he underperforms compared to the wild expectations I've been hearing.
I expect him to get 1000 (its almost impossible not to a sole #1 back) but not a heck of a lot more, and be under 4 yards per carry.
Brown is a good developing back, but in a dysfunctional offense. He may put up numbers, but they wont be leading to success, rather than he would get big numbers because they will rely on the run since they cannot throw the ball.
Lynch? Lots of mixed opinions on him. Hard to project him as better than Maroney, IMO, and no way as a rookie.
Without question, if you ask me which of these 4 RBs I would take in an open draft today, its Maroney. If you ask me which one has the best talent surrounding him, its not even close.
If you are asking who puts up the best numbers, who knows, that has to do with a lot more than just who is the best RB.
For example, not that I expect it, but with Brady and these receivers, we could throw the ball 700 times. Or on the other hand we could feed Maroney 400 carries. In either case, the number of points we score on offense is the gauge of what Maroney contributes, whether the stats indicate it or not.
My rankings, as of now, ignoring the team surrounding them, (i.e. if the Pats could choose any of the 4) for this year only:
1) Brown
2) Maroney (I believe Maroney will prove to be better than Brown, but Brown has done more to date, so he gets a small nod)
3) Jones
4) Lynch
If we are talking long term switch Maroney and Brown, and switch Jones and Lynch.