Patriots Interview Samir Suleiman
A fifth confirmed candidate for the Patriots’ lead front office executive position has emerged. While three of the first four options declined an audience with the team, former Panthers staffer Samir Suleiman will meet about the job.
The Pats are interviewing Suleiman — most recently the Panthers’ VP of football administration — on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Suleiman was part of this year’s January GM interview cycle, meeting about the Panthers’ position. While this is effectively for a GM role, SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates the Patriots are labeling the position their executive vice president of football operations. This is similar to how the Commanders themed their search this offseason.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]
Carolina parted ways with Suleiman after promoting assistant GM Dan Morgan to the GM post. This interview represented Suleiman’s second meeting about a GM position. He also met about the Panthers’ 2021 GM vacancy, but while the team retained the salary cap expert after Scott Fitterer landed the gig three years ago, the sides parted ways once Morgan stepped in as Fitterer’s replacement.
Three execs — Trey Brown, Terrance Gray, Quentin Harris — turned down the Patriots, who are still viewed as likely to give this position to Eliot Wolf, who has been in charge of the team’s roster for several weeks post-Bill Belichick. The two staffers who have not rejected interviews worked together in Pittsburgh. Brandon Hunt, who is currently an Eagles exec, worked alongside Suleiman from 2013-19 with the Steelers. As Hunt served as the team’s director of pro scouting, Suleiman was in place as the AFC North franchise’s football administration coordinator.
Suleiman debuted on NFL staffs in the late 1990s, beginning his run with the Jaguars. He then spent the 2000s with the Rams, operating as the director of football administration for the then-St. Louis-based franchise. The Panthers hired Suleiman in 2020, and he became the team’s primary contract negotiator.
Hunt is continuing his interview today, Schefter adds. Once Suleiman completes his interview, the Patriots would stand to have satisfied their Rooney Rule requirements. Like Hunt, Suleiman is a minority exec. Teams are required to interview at least two external minority candidates to comply with the updated Rooney Rule.
49ers Notes: Cousins, Deebo, Gipson, Green
No matter how successful the 49ers become, we cannot seem to move past “what if?” scenarios involving bigger-name QBs. Although Tom Brady is retired (for the time being, at least), Kirk Cousins made a second free agency defection. The former Kyle Shanahan Washington pupil received a $100MM practical guarantee from the Falcons, tying him to the team for at least two seasons. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. pick raised the most eyebrows of any in the draft (and stunned Cousins), and one GM said (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) the Falcons do not choose Penix at No. 8 if they do not believe a Cousins trade destination will emerge. Another GM viewed the Penix pick as a path for Cousins to, at long last, reunite with Shanahan in San Francisco.
It would cost the Falcons $37.5MM in dead money to trade Cousins before June 1 next year, and while one of the GMs who spoke to La Canfora the NFC South team would likely be willing to eat dead money to move the high-priced starter (presuming Penix is ready), the 49ers passing on a Brock Purdy extension to bring in a QB ahead of his age-37 season would be quite the development. Jed York has spoken of a Purdy extension, though La Canfora posits the former Mr. Irrelevant’s asking price could point Shanahan back to Cousins.
The 49ers made early preparations to sign Cousins in 2018, before their Jimmy Garoppolo extension, but Shanahan has long been a fan — to the point the 49ers were willing to offer No. 2 overall for the then-Washington QB in 2017. While dot connecting makes sense after the surprising Penix pick, several hurdles appear in the path to Cousins joining the 49ers this late in the game. Here is the latest out of San Francisco:
- The 49ers have All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga on the way back from ACL surgery, and they turned to 2023 third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown as a starter late last season. Hufanga’s uncertainty about being ready for Week 1 may lead the 49ers to another veteran safety. This has been on the radar for a bit. The team is likely to give two-year starter Tashaun Gipson more time to determine if he wants to play an age-34 season, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. If not, the 49ers will likely want to add more safety help as Hufanga insurance. This job description may not be ideal for some of the safeties still available, but the market remains flush with veteran options after a salary crunch. Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Eddie Jackson and Marcus Maye remain unsigned.
- With Logan Ryan retired and Isaiah Oliver cut, the 49ers are preparing to see if second-round pick Renardo Green can hold his own in the slot. The 49ers will begin Green there, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News notes. While a widespread competition may still take place for the role alongside starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, Shanahan said Green has the makings of a slot defender. Giving Lenoir a chance to push for a boundary-CB payday in a contract year would be interesting, and the 49ers have been unable to turn to a slot cog on a full-time basis since K’Waun Williams‘ 2022 exit.
- The team going with Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 and then drafting Jacob Cowing on Day 3 will put more pressure on Danny Gray, and Barrows adds the former third-rounder’s roster spot is in jeopardy. Drafted as a speed option out of SMU, Gray spent last season on IR and has one career reception.
- Pearsall’s addition would seem to double as preparation for the point the team breaks up the Deebo Samuel–Brandon Aiyuk pairing. The 49ers appear prepared to push this situation to 2025, with John Lynch saying the team is done talking trades involving one of its high-end WRs. With Samuel being discussed on Day 2, a future in which the 49ers pay Aiyuk and trade their multipurpose threat is in play. On this road, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch does predict 2024 will be Samuel’s final 49ers season. Due to void years, it would cost the 49ers $15.1MM in dead money to trade Samuel before June 1 of 2025.
Chiefs Pursued QB Carson Wentz In 2023
It became well known the Chiefs wanted JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2021. The veteran wide receiver said the Chiefs finished second to a Steelers return, but the AFC West power kept him on the radar and made the signing a year later. Kansas City appears to have executed a similar strategy at quarterback.
Carson Wentz spent an unexpectedly long period in free agency last year, not joining a team until the Rams added him as Matthew Stafford insurance in November. The Chiefs, it turns out, talked to the former No. 2 overall pick early in free agency. Wentz’s approach at the time led the team to move on, with Blaine Gabbert instead joining the club (and collecting a second Super Bowl ring).
“We talked to him last year when we were talking to Blaine and [Wentz] was holding off for an opportunity possibly to start,” Andy Reid said this week. “But it was good to get him in this position and if he has an opportunity to play, he has an opportunity to play. But he’s really handled it well since he’s been here. He’s a good football player.”
Wentz, 31, is now on his fifth team in five years. The Eagles and Colts traded the ex-North Dakota State standout, and the Commanders — after benching their preferred starter for a stretch — released him in late February 2023. No Wentz connections to any team emerged until he is believed to have reached out to the Jets following Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear, but it is certainly possible — given the resumes — the Chiefs wanted Wentz over Gabbert.
Gabbert ended up signing with the Chiefs for barely the veteran minimum. The Chiefs used Gabbert as their starter in a meaningless Week 18 game; Wentz received the call for the Rams, who rested starters in the regular-season finale, in a game that doubled as a free agency audition.
Gabbert is going into his age-35 season; Wentz will turn 32 in December. The Chiefs have the latter on a one-year deal worth $3.33MM ($2.2MM guaranteed). Wentz has only started one game against the Chiefs — a 27-20 Eagles loss in October 2017, Alex Smith‘s final year as Kansas City’s starter — but certainly has extensive starting experience. Patrick Mahomes‘ new backup has made 93 career starts.
The Rams turned to Jimmy Garoppolo to take Wentz’s old job, continuing a run of reclamation efforts behind Stafford. Wentz becomes the Chiefs’ third QB2 in three seasons, with Gabbert having succeeded four-year backup Chad Henne. Mahomes has missed some memorable stretches, leaving a 2020 divisional-round game due to a concussion and then missing a short span during a 2022 second-round matchup. The two-time MVP missed two games during the 2019 season as well. Wentz is now the next in line should Kansas City’s seventh-year starter miss time.
Patriots Targeted WR Xavier Legette
While the Bills exited the first round more closely tied to Xavier Legette, the South Carolina wide receiver prospect evidently did not meet the value of the No. 32 draft slot for the defending AFC East champions. But a division rival was in on the size-speed weapon.
After the Bills moved down from No. 28 to No. 32, leading to the Chiefs selecting Xavier Worthy, Buffalo received multiple offers for the final pick of Round 1. The Panthers ended up winning out, obtaining No. 32 in exchange for Nos. 33 and 141, the Patriots also sent their twice-a-year opponents an offer for the pick. Legette was indeed the Pats’ target, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
[RELATED: Patriots Rejected Giants, Vikings’ Offers For No. 3]
Brian Thomas Jr. went off the board to the Jaguars at No. 23; that pick set up the second run on receivers. After the Chiefs chose Worthy, five wideouts went off the board between Nos. 31 and 37. The Patriots had hoped to move toward the front of this wave, but after Legette went off the board, they stepped back by moving from No. 34 to 37 (via the Chargers, who sent the Pats No. 110 in the swap). Three picks after the Bolts’ Ladd McConkey choice, the Pats ended up with their WR hopeful — Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk.
Of the six WRs chosen between 28 and 37 (Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Legette, Keon Coleman, McConkey, Polk), only one — Pearsall — did not involve a trade. This run of position jockeying will be interesting to revisit down the line, as teams will attempt to develop their chosen WRs.
Legette will join 2023 second-round wideout Jonathan Mingo in Carolina, with the Panthers using two picks in the 30s — Mingo went 39th last year — to supplement veterans Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson. Thielen’s contract pays out its remaining guarantees this year, while Johnson’s Steelers extension expires after the season. Johnson and Legette certainly represent an upgrade from what Carolina gave Bryce Young in his rookie season.
The Patriots made an aggressive pursuit of Calvin Ridley, but after the Titans’ four-year, $96MM offer won out, Drake Maye will be developing alongside Polk. Legette, who made “30” visits to meet with the Panthers and Bills, pairs a 4.39-second 40-yard dash time with a 227-pound frame. Lauded for his blocking ability, Legette made a remarkable transformation. After never breaking the 200-yard barrier in four seasons with the Gamecocks, he broke through for 1,255 (17.7 per catch) and seven TDs in 2023.
ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted Legette 28th overall in this class and ranked Polk 60th. The Pats ranked Polk in their top six or seven, per Fowler; it just appears Legette came in a bit higher on that list.
Working opposite Rome Odunze in a Washington offense that saw three wideouts drafted in the first three rounds, Polk produced 694 yards and six TDs in Michael Penix Jr.‘s first Huskies season and then went 69-1,159-9 in 2023. The Pats, who certainly experienced issues developing highly drafted WRs during Bill Belichick‘s run, will attempt to groom Polk alongside the likes of Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas and free agency addition K.J. Osborn.
Cowboys, Giants Had RB MarShawn Lloyd On Day 2 Radar
Linked to running backs during the pre-draft process, the Cowboys instead passed on drafting one and followed through with what became a much-discussed reunion with Ezekiel Elliott. The Giants waited until the fifth round to add a back to their group.
This RB class did not generate too much hype, with only one player — Texas’ Jonathon Brooks — going off the board in the first two rounds. Closely connected to Brooks, the Cowboys also did plenty of work on one of this class’ second-tier options. MarShawn Lloyd‘s camp viewed Dallas as one of the teams that could take the former USC and South Carolina back, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes, adding the Giants also carried interest in the recent Pac-12 RB.
Lloyd ended up going 88th overall to the Packers, making him an intriguing backup in a contingent housing free agency pickup Josh Jacobs and the recently re-signed AJ Dillon. Both the Giants and Cowboys carry more questions at the position, seeing as each team refrained from high-end investments this offseason.
The Giants were not willing to go near where the Eagles did for Saquon Barkley, failing to make an offer despite having submitted a proposal that included more than $20MM fully guaranteed last summer. They gave Devin Singletary a three-year, $16.5MM deal ($9.5MM guaranteed at signing) to replace Barkley, and the team has 2023 fifth-rounder Eric Gray and rookie fifth-rounder Tyrone Tracy Jr. as Singletary’s top backups. The Giants eyed Lloyd, per Fowler, but he landed between the team’s third- (No. 71) and fourth-round (No. 106) picks. Before the draft, a report indicated the Giants were eyeing veteran RB help. They may, however, be content once again to roll with an experienced starter and unseasoned backups.
Passing on Derrick Henry and other available RBs early in free agency, the Cowboys re-signed Elliott to a one-year, $3MM deal. Dallas has Royce Freeman and 2023 Tony Pollard backups Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn among its backfield options. This plan (as it stands now, that is) has generated some scrutiny. The team showed interest in Lloyd, doing plenty of pre-draft work on him, and Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Fowler adds. The Cowboys, however, did not carry a fourth-round pick. Wright went to the Dolphins, who traded up to acquire the SEC product at No. 120.
Lloyd transferred from South Carolina to USC in 2023, totaling a career-high 820 rushing yards (7.1 per carry) last season. Lloyd tallied nine rushing touchdowns with the Gamecocks in 2022. He will be among the rookie RBs attempting to prove teams wrong for their pre-draft outlook on this class.
WR/TE Devin Funchess Signs Deal With Colombian Basketball Team
It does not appear Devin Funchess is attempting a return to the NFL. The former wide receiver/tight end is currently in Colombia, having signed with a professional basketball team there.
Funchess agreed to a deal to join Caribbean Storm Llaneros, who are part of the Professional Colombia Basketball League. He made his debut with the team earlier this month, according to Panthers.com’s Kassidy Hill.
The former Panthers second-round pick last played in a regular-season game back in 2019, but he was with a team as recently as 2022. The Lions added the Detroit native but released him upon setting their initial 53-man roster that summer. Funchess, 29, went to camp with the Packers in 2021 and spent a short time on the 49ers’ practice squad during that season.
Funchess’ NFL career stalled once he signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Colts in 2019. A Week 1 injury that year looks to have been his final act in an NFL game. While the Colts designated Funchess for return — back when only three players could be activated off IR in-season — they did not end up moving him back onto their active roster. Funchess signed with the Packers in 2020 but opted out of that season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Funchess did not play basketball at Michigan, having last played organized hoops in high school. That certainly creates a steep degree of difficulty for the 6-foot-4 performer. The Professional Colombia Basketball League’s season spans 28 games; Funchess will attempt to impress, eyeing a hopeful deal with an NBA G League team. A meeting with the GM of the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League team, per Hill, spurred Funchess to try and build some momentum in a lower-profile league. Funchess is eyeing open G League tryouts in September.
“I really want to play with the [Greensboro] Swarm just because it’s like so much, it was so much love,” Funchess said of the Charlotte Hornets’ G League team. “When I look at my life and I go back to my life, yeah, Detroit gave me a lot of love, a ton of love. But Charlotte opened so many doors for me. My whole family is from North Carolina anyway. So, it’d just be dope just to get my fam to the games.”
If this is it for Funchess in the NFL, he will be best remembered for his Panthers contributions. The 2015 No. 41 overall pick served as a key Cam Newton target for the Panthers’ 15-1 team that ventured, without an injured Kelvin Benjamin, to Super Bowl 50. Funchess totaled 21 touchdown receptions as a Panther, delivering his best season — an 840-yard, eight-TD slate — in 2017 to help Carolina book its most recent playoff berth.
Latest On Odell Beckham Jr., Dolphins
Making the No. 3 wide receiver post a priority, the Dolphins made an offer to Odell Beckham Jr. weeks ago and finalized an agreement last week. The former superstar’s terms with Miami reflect a value drop, as the deal brings a $12MM reduction from his base Ravens payment.
After Beckham drove Baltimore to guarantee him $15MM, he will land on Miami’s books at $3MM. The wideout is believed to have turned down more money elsewhere, via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, though no connection between the nine-year vet and another team emerged this offseason.
Beckham’s Dolphins contract can max out at $8MM; this comes a year after his Ravens deal featured an $18MM max value. Beckham used the leverage of Lamar Jackson‘s holdout in 2023, with SI.com’s Albert Breer noting the now-two-time MVP — then near the end of a long-running negotiation that involved an 11th-hour trade request — wanted the well-traveled wide receiver on the roster. (When Beckham signed, the Ravens officially gave him no assurances Jackson was coming back.) The Ravens obliged, but the outcome fell short of the team’s hopes.
The Ravens used Beckham as a part-timer last season, giving him a 60% snap rate on offense during just one of the 16 games he played. The 31-year-old target totaled 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Clubs understandably view Beckham as in decline, with one exec whose team looked into signing the WR it was clear the gear he had once displayed is not there anymore. Another exec did not go that far, viewing Beckham’s form as improving as last season progressed.
OBJ’s 16.1 yards per catch represented a career-high mark, coming in 12th in the NFL; his yards per route run (1.92) and yards per target (8.8.) each ranked in the top 35 last season. The former Giants Pro Bowler has likely submitted his final 1,000-yard season — he has five — but the Dolphins appear fine with the version of Beckham the Ravens received.
A No. 1 wideout essentially from the start of his Giants career through the point he was traded, Beckham added two more 1,000-yard years in Cleveland. OBJ played a 1-A role alongside Jarvis Landry with the Browns. The three-time Pro Bowler lined up as the Rams’ WR2 during his short but memorable stint in Los Angeles, and the Ravens ended up placing him as their No. 2 pass catcher — behind Zay Flowers — following Mark Andrews‘ injury. The Dolphins, however, will slot Beckham as their clear WR3 behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This will be new territory for the former top-10 pick.
A wide gap formed between Miami’s second- and third-leading pass catchers last season. Waddle’s 1,014 yards (in 14 games). Tight end Durham Smythe checked in as Miami’s third-leading target last year; he totaled 366 yards. The Dolphins’ nominal No. 3 wideout — Cedrick Wilson Jr. — tallied 296 yards. The team will hope Beckham can bridge the gap between the two speed merchants and the rest of their receiving cadre.
The team released Wilson, who later caught on with the Saints, and used a sixth-round pick on a wideout (5-foot-8 Virginia prospect Malik Washington). Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft remain on the team, as does ex-Browns third-rounder Anthony Schwartz. But the Dolphins will expect Beckham to deliver better WR3 work than the team received last season.
Cowboys To Release WR Martavis Bryant
Bringing in Martavis Bryant as a flier who could potentially help as a supporting-caster late last season, the Cowboys never ended up activating the ex-Steelers starter.
Despite signing the formerly suspended wideout in early November, the Cowboys ultimately did not view Bryant as ready to contribute. The team gave Bryant a reserve/futures contract in January, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes the team is releasing him Wednesday.
[RELATED: Cowboys To Meet With WR Zay Jones]
Bryant’s stock has not approached the level that once featured him being traded for a third-round pick, as the 6-foot-4 weapon has not played in a regular-season game since 2018. But Pelissero adds other teams have shown interest. While it would not necessarily surprise to see Bryant given another opportunity, he is running out of time to reignite his NFL career at age 32.
The NFL reinstated Bryant from a yearslong suspension on November 4, 2023. This came years after the NFL loosened its drug policy — which led Bryant out of the league in the late 2010s — to cut down on suspensions for non-PED offenses. The 2010s featured harsher punishments for substance abuse, and Bryant ran afoul of these standards at multiple points during his initial NFL run. He missed four games in 2015 due to substance-abuse ban and was sidelined throughout the 2016 season. Bryant’s subsequent penalty — levied in December 2018 — ended up lasting for nearly five years. The ex-Ben Roethlisberger target scored 17 touchdowns from 2014-17 as a Steeler, adding a spectacular TD grab in the 2015 wild-card round.
Bryant remained in redevelopment mode as of late November of last year, and the Cowboys went with other options as CeeDee Lamb wingmen. The team released Bryant from its practice squad in early January but circled back via the futures deal. The Titans also had Bryant on their radar last year. It will be interesting to see if the Clemson alum — who also stopped through the CFL, XFL and Fan Controlled Football League — receives another NFL opportunity.
This move clears a spot for Jones, who is visiting the Cowboys today. The son of Robert Jones — a former Super Bowl starter for the Cowboys in the 1990s — Zay is a Dallas native who has seen one of his free agency doors (the Titans) seemingly close due to the Brian Callahan–Tyler Boyd reunion. The Cowboys still have Brandin Cooks in place as their top Lamb complement, but they remain on the hunt for more help.
Broncos To Waive QB Ben DiNucci
Ben DiNucci‘s season back in the NFL came in Denver, with the Broncos giving the former Cowboys backup-turned-XFL starter another shot. A 2024 overhaul of the team’s QB room will change its plans regarding DiNucci.
The team will waive the reserve passer, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. The Broncos added both Zach Wilson and Bo Nix to their QB room during draft week, and Jarrett Stidham remains on the roster. DiNucci’s exit will leave three QBs on Denver’s 90-man roster.
Catching on with the Broncos in May 2023, DiNucci came over after a season in the third XFL incarnation. A member of the Seattle Sea Dragons, DiNucci led XFL 3.0 in passing yards (2,671) while throwing 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over 10 starts. The spring-league opportunity created NFL interest, and the Broncos kept DiNucci around throughout last season. Denver gave DiNucci a reserve/futures contract in January.
The Broncos had taken care of DiNucci, 27, after he made the decision to stay with the team rather than move to the Saints’ active roster. New Orleans had attempted to poach DiNucci off Denver’s P-squad following a Derek Carr injury last season, but DiNucci opted to remain the AFC West team’s emergency third-stringer behind Russell Wilson and Stidham. The Broncos ended up elevating DiNucci to their active roster three times, covering the QB, as he would have been required to remain on the Saints’ active roster (and see game checks that come with that status) for at least three weeks had he left for New Orleans.
Last seeing regular-season action in 2020 with the Cowboys, DiNucci saw preseason time for the Broncos last year. While the Broncos could need a fourth QB at some point this offseason, each of their three options are healthy. Nix’s development will define Denver’s spring and summer, and the coaching staff will also need to focus on training Wilson in Sean Payton‘s system. This move will leave Stidham as the only Denver QB with previous experience in the current scheme.
A former seventh-round Cowboys pick out of James Madison, DiNucci spent the 2022 season out of football after being a Dallas cut that summer. The former Pittsburgh recruit would profile as a player of interest to the newly formed United Football League, but that season is more than halfway over. Not being claimed on the waiver wire could stall DiNucci’s career.
Cowboys To Meet With WR Zay Jones
The Jaguars’ Zay Jones release moved an experienced wide receiver to the market post-draft, and teams have taken notice. Jones is set to log a third free agency visit this week.
Already meeting with the Titans and Cardinals, Jones is now heading to Dallas. The Cowboys are bringing in the veteran pass catcher for a Wednesday meeting, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. The Titans have since signed Tyler Boyd, seemingly removing them from this mid-offseason derby.
Jones, 29, would stand to provide Dallas some insurance against 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert not being ready to become a regular. The Cowboys cut Michael Gallup just before part of his 2024 salary was to become guaranteed, and the NFC East team did not address the receiver position early in the draft. The Cowboys waited until Round 6 to add a wideout, selecting Ryan Flournoy out of Division I-FCS Southeast Missouri State.
[RELATED: Raiders Sign WR Michael Gallup]
This fit certainly seems like it would appeal to Jones, who is a Dallas native. The son of former Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones — a starter on each of Dallas’ three 1990s Super Bowl-winning teams — Zay played at Stephen F. Austin High and trekked to East Carolina for college before becoming a Bills second-round pick in 2017. Zay Jones played a regular role for the Jaguars over the past two seasons, but after the team added Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round, it moved on from the two-year starter’s $8MM-per-year contract.
The 6-foot-2 target fared much better in 2022 compared to last season. After fetching a somewhat surprising three-year, $24MM deal from a Jags team committed to upgrading its roster talent in free agency that year, Jones tallied 823 receiving yards and five touchdowns to help the team win the AFC South. Jones then became a key part of the Jags’ 27-point wild-card comeback, catching eight passes for 74 yards and a score against the Chargers. The seven-year vet then led the Jags with 83 receiving yards in a narrow divisional-round loss to the Chiefs. Last season, however, Jones produced just 34 catches for 321 yards. He played in only nine games.
Jones did not make any trips to IR last season but missed six games in a seven-week span over the campaign’s first half. These absences came about because of a PCL issue and femur damage, Jones later admitted. This affected Calvin Ridley‘s season as well, as the veteran’s biggest games came when Jones was on the field. All four of Ridley’s 100-plus-yard showings came in games Jones played. Ridley defected to the Titans, leaving Christian Kirk as the only piece of the team’s previous WR trio left.
The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks in place as their top two wideouts. Lamb’s slot capabilities would stand to pair with Jones’ outside game. Tolbert has not shown too much since becoming a 2022 third-round pick, though he did make progress last season by hauling in 22 passes for 268 yards and two scores. A Jones addition would probably cut into the South Alabama alum’s time.
It can be argued the Cardinals need more help by comparison, despite Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s arrival, but Jones being from Dallas adds some intrigue here. Barring the former Bills and Raiders target setting an unrealistic asking price, it seems he will have a new home soon.