Julio Jones has been a thorn in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ side in the seven career games he’s faced them.
Now, it appears Jones is ready to help the team he’s had so much success against.
Julio Jones signs with the Eagles
Jones and the Eagles agreed on a one-year free-agent deal that would bring the future Hall-of-Famer to Philadelphia for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Jones recently played with current Eagles wide receivers AJ Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus in different stints with the Titans and Falcons.
At 34 years old, Jones is well past the prime of his career. He caught just 24 passes last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and hasn’t recorded a 500-yard season since his final year with Atlanta in 2020. The former Alabama product has health with a plethora of injuries over the years but comes into a wide receiver room where he will be the third wide receiver behind Brown and DeVonta Smith.
While Jones may be passed his prime, he is still a dominant All-time receiver. His 13,629 yards are the most of any active player in the NFL and was on the All-Decades team of the 2010s. His experience will help the Eagles while the team won’t need him to be more than a veteran target on the field.
Philadelphia had become thin at receiver over the last few weeks with Quez Watkins going on IR with a hamstring injury. The Eagles are coming off their first loss of the 2023 season to the New York Jets, and are looking for more consistent help outside of their usual top receiving threats.
There’s also a home-grown connection that links Jones to the Eagles. The former sixth-overall pick is the fourth offensive player drafted from Alabama to join the offense along with Jalen Hurts, Landon Dickerson, and Smith. It’s also worth noting that he spent time on the Titans with new teammate A.J Brown, who was once vocal about recruiting him to Tennessee. I wonder if history repeated itself…
Jones wasn’t the only player to be picked up either by Philadelphia Tuesday. The team agreed to a practice squad contract with cornerback Josiah Scott according to his agency. Scott played with the Eagles for the last two years and was on the Steelers practice squad as of last week.
Scott and Jones both solve immediate injury concerns at key skill positions for Philadelphia. Now, it’ll be up to the coaching staff to have them ready for Sunday Night’s marquee matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire
