Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars had many needs this offseason, wide receiver wasn’t one of them, as they had a pair of talented players in
and
However, the team decided to reinforce the unit and signed
in free agency.
A 2012 fifth-round pick, Jones spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Detroit Lions in 2016. Although he’s only logged more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season once, he’s gotten pretty close a few times and has hauled in more than 800 yards in four seasons.
Over his nine-year career, Jones has appeared in 112 games with 88 starts and has caught 423 receptions for 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns. The California native was one of the few big-name additions the Jags made in free agency and although he’s not a number-one wide receiver, he doesn’t have to be, as Chark will be the offense’s main target.
On the other hand, Jones should still be able to post solid numbers in Jacksonville. Throughout his career, he’s never been his team’s primary wide receiver but has still delivered when he’s been asked to. What kind of expectations should the Jaguars set for Jones this upcoming season? How many receiving touchdowns will he score? Here are three realistic expectations for Jones in 2021.
Marvin Jones will post a 1,000-yard season for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars had a solid number-three wide receiver in Keelan Cole but chose to move on from him this offseason and brought in Marvin Jones to take his place. Jones should have better numbers than Cole in 2021 not only because he’s the better player but because the team used the first overall pick of this year’s draft on Trevor Lawrence.
Last season, the Jags got solid production from their wide receiver corps in spite of the instability at the quarterback position. DJ Chark, their leading receiver, had 706 receiving yards and Cole finished second with 642. Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert threw for over 4,000 passing yards in 2020, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Lawrence finish this season with a similar amount of yards.
Chark should get over 1,000 receiving yards for the second time in his career. He should also draw a few double teams, which would give Jones some one-on-one match and the chance to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Expect the Jags to have two 1,000-yard receivers in 2021, the first time since 2015, when Allen Robinson had 1,400 and Allen Hurns got 1,031.
How many touchdowns will Marvin Jones score for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
The Jaguars have a well-rounded wide receiver corps, so they won’t solely rely on Marvin Jones or any other player. Also, their red-zone efficiency should increase this upcoming season, as the team had a hard time moving the ball and scoring in 2020.
Last year, Gardner Minshew II, Mike Glennon, and Jake Luton combined for 25 passing touchdowns, good for 19th in the league. That figure should stay around the same in 2021 because as talented as Trevor Lawrence is, he will still be a rookie. Let’s say the first-year quarterback finishes the year with 25 touchdowns, how many of those will Jones get?
Although Jones has just had one 1,000-yard season, he has had 32 trips to the end zone over the last four years and 18 in the last two. Last year, DJ Chark Jr., Keelan Cole, and Laviska Shenault Jr. had five touchdowns each. With better quarterback play, Chark should lead the team in receiving touchdowns and Jones will finish second with eight.
Taking into consideration that Lawrence is now the Jaguars quarterback and Chark will be their number-one receiver, it’s easy to envision Jones hauling in 79 catches for 1,023 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
This Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver won’t get any accolades in 2021.
Marvin Jones will have an instant impact on the Jaguars’ offense. After all, he was the closest to a big-name free agent they signed this offseason, but as important as he will be in Jacksonville, he won’t get many accolades. If it accounts for something he was named the team’s best offseason acquisition in 2021. Last season, no Jaguar was voted to the Pro Bowl nor earned an All-Pro nod, and it happened because this team wasn’t good and hasn’t been relevant in a while.
This year should be different though. The Jaguars got the national spotlight because they drafted Trevor Lawrence and hired Urban Meyer as their head coach. Fans and the national media will tune in to see if the duo can have the same kind of success they had at the collegiate level but even if the team manages to win eight games and play competitive football for most of the year, there are other Jaguars players more likely to earn a Pro Bowl nod than Jones.
DJ Chark and defensive end Josh Allen could get their second Pro Bowl designation and linebacker Myles Jack is still waiting for his first one. If center Brandon Linder stays healthy, he will be another candidate to get some kind of accolades. This doesn’t mean Jones won’t have a big impact this upcoming season. He’s never earned individual accolades throughout his NFL but that hasn’t stopped him from performing at a high level.