Travon Walker and other Jaguars who must step up vs. Eagles in Week 4

No. 2 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Eagles: Zay Jones

It’s easy to forget now but general manager Trent Baalke was a persona non-grata in Jacksonville at the end of the 2021 season. Sure, Urban Meyer was mostly responsible for the team’s dysfunctional culture last year but Baalke was mainly silent, at least from the outside looking in.

In fact, fans wanted Baalke gone but owner Shad Khan didn’t cave in and ultimately kept him because he saw the general manager as an important piece in the team’s future success. Nevertheless, there was plenty of skepticism surrounding his acquisitions in free agency and the draft.

While some moves were riskier than others, this writer didn’t like the four-year $24 million contract Zay Jones got. Prior to joining the Jags, the 2017 second-round pick had only logged more than 600 yards in a season and had caught just two touchdown receptions since 2019.

But it seems like Baalke got this one right, as Jones established himself as an important part of the Jags’ offense. Over the last three weeks, the former East Carolina Pirate has tallied 19 receptions for 173 yards with one touchdown. He’s only averaging 9.1 yards per catch but has had a big impact on keeping drives alive, moving the chains 10 times.

With Christian Kirk probably drawing double coverage against the Eagles, Jones will need to step up and come up with a few big plays.