There has been a constant trend of teams in the NFL sitting their starters during the preseason. It looks like that will be true for at least one player on the Atlanta Falcons in Julio Jones.
Julio Jones spoke to the media and said he will not play during the preseason. Last season, Jones didn't play in any preseason games either so this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Preseason in the NFL is becoming more and more meaningless and teams are trying to avoid injuries to their key players ahead of the regular season. Coaches can't control injuries that happen in training camp but they can prevent injuries from happening in the preseason.
As for the Falcons, Matt Ryan and Jones have played together since 2011 and have been on the same page for years. Therefore, there's no reason to risk putting Jones on the field just so he can catch a few passes in a game that doesn't mean anything.
Plus, Jones is hoping for a new contract from the team so him getting hurt would create an unwanted situation. Jones didn't hold out of training camp because he believes the Falcons will hold their end of the bargain. Jones said “Arthur Blank's word is as good as gold” to be exact.
Nonetheless, we saw teams like the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay lean towards not playing nearly any starters last preseason. It worked well for them as they made a run to the Super Bowl in 2018.
After all of the injuries to guys like Deion Jones, Ricardo Allen, and Keanu Neal in 2018, it's smart for the Falcons to play their starters sparingly. After all, Jones and others on the Falcons aren't the only starters in the NFL who will sit out this preseason.
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