The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the best wide-recording teams in the NFL, but that didn’t stop them from signing a former Pro Bowler to the spot this season. That somewhat obscure addition could pay big dividends for them.
Julio Jones signed a one-year contract with the Bucs just before the start of training camp two weeks ago. Some have wondered if the seven-time Pro Bowler player would have trouble coming up with a list of 53, especially when you look at structure of his contract. If what ESPN’s Jeff Darlington says is correct, not only should Jones make the list, but it could also have a huge impact.
“A very important Bucs source told me that Julio Jones looks like the 2019 version of Julio Jones here,” Darlington said. “If he can stay healthy, and that’s a great thing if … enjoy that.”
The 2019 version of Julio Jones has 99 catches from 1,394 yards and 6 touches. He actually exceeded that total yardage in the previous five seasons.
That seemed like a long time ago. Jones is now 33 years old and has made only 19 appearances in the past two seasons. He had 31 career low catches last year with the Tennessee Titans. Of course, at that time Tom Brady was not his quarterback.
If Jones is healthy, he will have more opportunities to do big plays. The defense will have to focus on getting rid of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which will leave Jones open in certain situations. Tom Brady must have liked the prospect of having Jones as third pick in the pass game.
