COLUMN: Julio Jones Hasn't Been a Difference Maker for the Titans, and He Probably Won't Be
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Ask virtually anyone who plays a role in the Tennessee Titans' offense about WR Julio Jones, and they'll tell you how glad they are to have him on the team. "He certainly brings a veteran presence and has seen a lot," offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. "He's made big plays long before […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Ask virtually anyone who plays a role in the Tennessee Titans' offense about WR Julio Jones, and they'll tell you how glad they are to have him on the team.
"He certainly brings a veteran presence and has seen a lot," offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. "He's made big plays long before getting here. His presence on the field gives us an ability to have a big target."
Outside of his big Week Two showing against Seattle, though, the talents and ability of Jones that his teammates and coaches rave about haven't come to fruition for Tennessee in 2021.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has been nothing more than a complementary piece for the Titans in his first year with the team, and calling him even that may be a stretch.
Now that we have a sample size of Jones in a Titans uniform that's nearly a full-season long, it's time for those of us who aren't part of the Titans' organization⏤specifically, the media and fans⏤to reset our expectations for Jones.
NOT ON THE FIELD
Jones' biggest problem in 2021 has been his constant unavailability due to a nagging hamstring injury. He's played in just nine of the Titans' 15 games, and, when he has played, his snap count has been very low.
As a result, his production has been severely limited. Jones has just 26 catches and 376 receiving yards to his name with the Titans, and he's yet to score a touchdown.
His targets are few and far between, too. He saw just two combined in the Titans' two most recent games; they led to one catch for seven yards.
He also has not developed any discernable chemistry with QB Ryan Tannehill, preventing Jones from being a true go-to guy for the Titans in the same way as the consistently dominant A.J. Brown.
If Jones continues to be perenially week-to-week and on a pitch count when he does play, he'll never develop that chemistry.
"Can only throw to the guys that are out there," head coach Mike Vrabel said.
It's important to note that Jones' hamstring and unavailability woes aren't his fault.
There's nothing he's doing wrong. Calling him weak or soft would be baseless; he's undoubtedly done everything in his power to bring this nightmare to a close.
They are, however, extremely disappointing and an indication that Jones should be seen as merely a big target who runs good routes and has reliable hands⏤not as some kind of threatening, explosive player who strikes fear into the heart of a secondary.
WHAT THE TITANS EXPECTED
That's a far cry from where expectations were when the Titans acquired Jones.
The Titans didn't take a flyer on Jones with little risk as they did with WR Randy Moss back in 2010 or with LB Zach Cunningham this season.
Rather, they gave up significant assets: a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and nearly $15 million of cap space.
Why? The Titans expected Jones to be a Super-Bowl difference-maker.
"We thought it was a move that we needed to make for us," Titans GM Jon Robinson said during an NFL Network appearance following the trade.
"When you're able to acquire a player like Julio and can add him into the mix of our football team, what we try to do offensively, those don't come around very often."
There is, of course, a chance that everything miraculously clicks for Jones over the last two weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs, and he finally becomes what the Titans thought they were getting when they traded for him.
Based on the available evidence, though, that scenario seems highly unlikely.
Cover image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean
