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Is WR James Jones a possibility for the Jaguars?

By Justin Moore

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As many of you know, the NFL offseason is a time where rumors fly around and writers analyze any possible situation that they can get their hands on. As training camp approaches, it is very popular to predict what players will make the final roster as well as where the best remaining free agents will sign.

Bleacher Report did just that, as they released an article in which they predicted the landing spots of the best remaining free agents. The first player that they reviewed was former Oakland Raiders WR James Jones and you guessed it, they predicted that the Jaguars will sign him.  Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report had this to say about James Jones:

"Jacksonville has been in heavy pursuit of top-flight receivers all spring, and let’s not forget that Jones played for new Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson last season. The 31-year-old caught a career-high 73 passes under Olson in 2014 and could have a chance to be the top gun in a budding offense, so this makes sense for both sides."

I definitely understand the connection that is being made here, James Jones is an experienced wide out and his knowledge of Greg Olsen’s offense could benefit a young offense that is trying to grow. In his years in the NFL he has shown that he has strong hands and also the ability to go up and get the ball when quarterbacks lob it up to him. He was fairly consistent last season as well, playing in all 16 games, finishing with 73 receptions and six touchdowns.

However, I personally believe the Jaguars will stay away from Jones and I think there are multiple reasons why. For starters, I don’t see the need for the Jaguars to add another outside wide receiver, they already have three receivers that play on the outside in Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, and Allen Hurns. Secondly, James Jones was not the same big play receiver in Oakland that he was in Green Bay. He averaged a career low 9.1 yards per catch last year which is lower than all of the Jaguars receivers I just mentioned. His biggest reception last year only went for 42 yards which is a career low, and he fumbled the ball three times last year which is the highest since his rookie season. The Jaguars are a team that is begging for big plays down the field and adding a receiver who is coming off a career low in average yards per catch doesn’t make much sense to me. His age is also a factor, I don’t see a reason to add a veteran outside wide out when there is already promising young talent at that position.

Granted, all this is obviously just speculation because there have been no reports that indicate that the Jaguars are interested in James Jones but situations like this are always fun to analyze. I unfortunately have no inside information on the thoughts of David Caldwell so I can’t guarantee anything but I would be very surprised if the Jaguars went after the veteran wide out.

Next: Could Brandon Linder Make the Pro Bowl?

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