The Philadelphia Eagles have provided Jalen Hurts with some additional firepower on the outside, signing veteran wide receiver Julio Jones in a surprising move ahead of Week 7. Jones, who has been unsigned through preseason and the beginning of the year, could provide a spark to an Eagles offense that was just shut down by a tough New York Jets defense last week.
At this stage in his illustrious career, what could Julio Jones bring to the Eagles offense for the rest of the 2023 NFL season? Let's take a look.
Another boundary threat out wide
The Eagles didn't really need to sign Julio Jones, as AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are always going to do the heavy lifting at receiver for this offense. Jones isn't being brought in to replace anyone, or steal targets in an offense that already has a ton of mouths to feed. Jones should function more as a situational threat, like on 3rd-and-longs, where he can beat 1-on-1 coverage along the boundary and win contested catches.
At age 34 with a ton of miles to boot, Jones isn't going to win any foot races anymore. His biggest strength will be his actual strength and frame, where he can outmuscle smaller corners for contested catches. Matt Ryan made a career off throwing it somewhere in the general vicinity of Julio Jones, and while those high-volume days are numbered, Jones should still be able to dial it up for a handful of snaps each game.
This is a luxury signing for one of the league's best teams, plain and simple.
Alabama connection
It would make sense that the Alabama connection between Jalen Hurts, Devonta Smith, and Julio Jones probably had something to do with this. Jones doesn't have a Super Bowl ring despite coming painfully close, and his friends from Alabama might be provided with some extra motivation to try and get him one. Jones is a veteran who knows a ton of tricks as one of the greatest receivers to ever play — passing on that knowledge to Brown and Smith is worth a roster spot, even if he doesn't contribute much on the field.
Although this signing felt like it was out of the blue, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that Hurts and Smith have been campaigning to bring Jones on for a title run for a while now.
Some insurance behind AJ Brown and Devonta Smith
The Eagles have arguably the best 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the league, but the depth behind Devonta Smith and AJ Brown is lackluster, to say the least. Quez Watkins is dealing with a hamstring injury, while Olamide Zaccheaus has only four receptions on the season. The Eagles don't really need a strong third receiver, but having another perimeter threat should Brown or Smith miss time could end up being useful over the course of a long season.
Jones won't be expected to reasonably fill in for either player's production, but getting a trusted veteran in the rotation and providing some injury insurance is a smart decision by Philadelphia's front office.
Jones caught 24 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns last year in 10 games, and he's dealt with a lot of soft-tissue injuries over the past few years. If he's healthy and utilized sparingly, Jones could help the Eagles during situational passing downs (two-minute drill, 3rd-and-long, etc.) against man coverage.
While expectations should definitely be tempered given his age, recent performance, and injury history, Jones is a trusted veteran who won't make mental mistakes and could provide the Eagles offense with a little insurance behind Brown and Smith.
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