The NFL draft is always tough on older players. Teams come out of it flush with young talent, which often leads to redundancies — that are quickly dealt with in a wave of cuts around the league.
And that’s exactly what Zay Jones experienced with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. Jacksonville drafted former LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of this year’s draft, and a few days later chose to make room in the receiving corps by letting Jones go. Now he’s a free agent, and the former Las Vegas Raiders wideout could make sense for the New Orleans Saints.
Sure, the Saints are flush with Derek Carr’s former teammates already. But they could use another veteran at receiver, and Jones is better-accomplished than other free agents they’ve picked up over the last month. Jones caught 34 passes for 321 yards last season. The Saints’ trio of Cedrick Wilson Jr., Stanley Morgan, and Equanimeous St. Brown combined for 27 receptions and 358 yards on their previous teams in 2023. Add up their careers and Jones outpaces them by 118 catches and 802 yards.
Signing him could make sense. The Saints don’t have much to hang their hats on after Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. A.T. Perry has a ton of potential but we should remember he only caught a dozen passes last year. It would be wise to invest in a safety net in case one of those youngsters slips and falls. Jones isn’t likely to be expensive, and he already has a connection to Carr. If the money makes sense there’s no reason not to bring him into training camp and see if he can compete for a roster spot.
