By Jordan Long
The Oakland Raiders are on their bye week after defeating the Chicago Bears 24-21 in London, England. Their next game will be on October 20th when they head to Green Bay to take on the Packers. The Raiders added depth to their wide receiver core, acquiring Zay Jones from the Buffalo Bills.
Jones was originally drafted by the Bills in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL draft. His rookie year he appeared in 15 games and caught 27 passes for 316 yards. He added 2 touchdowns. Last season was his breakout year. Jones totaled 652 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns. His average yards per catch was an impressive 11.6.
This season Jones expected to grow his game more and become a deep threat for the Bills. He was listed as the 2nd wide receiver opposite John Brown. They were hoping quarterback Josh Allen was going to toss the ball to Jones who would make a man miss for large gains.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Jones wasn’t seeing the football go his way. Allen was throwing the football to John Brown and Cole Beasley. Jones was the odd man out but still recorded 7 receptions for 69 yards.
The Bills decided it was time for Jones to have a fresh start. Oakland gave up a 5th-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for him. Oakland allows Jones to move on and a chance to shine in Head Coach Jon Gruden’s offense.
Jones will not have the pressure of being the #1 or #2 wide receiver. Oakland is set with Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson. Jones is going to be a backup and may come in when Oakland needs to use 4 wide receivers. He could also be used when Williams needs a rest.
Jones knows he needs to learn a new offense. The bye week is going to help him talk to the coaching staff and learn the playbook. He will start studying so he knows the plays and what routs to run. This way Jones is ready to go when Oakland faces the Packers. Hopefully this creates another playmaker for the Oakland offense.
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