Tag: Marvin Jones

Multiple free agent receivers reportedly interested in Dolphins

Multiple free agent receivers reportedly interested in Dolphins

Each and every NFL franchise heads into the offseason with a ‘to do’ list. And, in many cases, the players pegged to successfully address issues on each team’s issues will leave those teams at the altar — after all, there’s only one Allen Robinson and while about 25 teams would like to sign the star receiver from Chicago, only one team will actually do so. For the Dolphins, a talented wide receiver market is going  to bring multiple reinforcements into the picture.

And while we don’t know which players the team is most interested in, there should be some peace of mind that, at the very least, there’s interest in the Dolphins organization from some of the players set to hit the market.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote up an extensive outlook on the Dolphins’ wide receiver situation yesterday and along the way it was revealed that more than one experienced veteran receiver would have interest in the Miami Dolphins next month when free agent negotiations kicked off.

“(A) source said (Marvin) Jones (76 catches, 978 yards for Detroit) got a call from former Lions teammate Matt Stafford about potentially joining him with the Rams but Miami and Jacksonville also would be two teams that would interest him…(Colts receiver T.Y.) Hilton, who attended FIU, would welcome Dolphins overtures after a 56-catch, 762-yard season in Indianapolis…An associate included Miami on a list of teams that could hold appeal to (Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuster) if the Steelers don’t keep him.” – Barry Jackson, Miami Herald

Marvin Jones. T.Y. Hilton. Juju Smith-Schuster. The Dolphins will clearly have options — as the program their building in South Florida under the watch of Chris Grier and Brian Flores continues to earn respect from other talents across the league. This is fairly uncharted waters for the Dolphins in recent memory; being a desirable free agent destination.

The Dolphins of the past would have needed to commit extra cash to get players to pick Miami over other contenders — and those talents rarely materialized as quality additions for the team. The end result was a bloated salary cap with several prominent underachievers in tow. And a rebuild to purge a decade’s worth of bad habits after that.

So consider this development a positive change, Dolphins fans. Players have their eyes on Miami and they like what they see. Of course, the Dolphins are still going to have to pay up to seal the deal but at the very least they’re on the list. That’s half the battle.

PFF projects the Browns to sign free agent WR Marvin Jones

Jones has caught 9 TDs in three of the last 4 seasons

NFL free agency kicks off in a month, but it’s never too early to speculate on some possible Cleveland Browns targets. Pro Football Focus got the ball rolling in their listing of the top 150 free agents with a bold prediction that the Browns would chase after Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones.

PFF’s prediction,

“Browns sign Jones for three years, $27 million ($9M APY): $16.5 million total guaranteed, $12.5 million fully guaranteed at signing.”

Jones, who will be 31 in March, caught 76 passes for 978 yards and nine TDs in 2020. He has exactly nine TD receptions in three of the last four seasons in Detroit, and Jones led the NFL in yards per reception in 2017 at 18.0.

PFF’s description of Jones is a good one. I’ve covered Jones with the Lions and he’s a very capable No. 2 receiver, a downfield threat despite not being a speedster and a difficult guy to tackle after the catch.

Jones is still a capable Z wide receiver on the outside opposite a true X, but he has also seen his snaps from the slot increase steadily each season, which could perhaps make him more attractive to potential suitors if there are concerns about his game not aging well.

Jones has solid hands (only dropped more than four passes once in a season) and some juice after the catch. He should still be a capable addition to a lot of receiving corps in the league. He isn’t a true mismatch weapon or a No. 1 receiver, but he can still provide a lot of value.

The projected salary here is an issue, however. If the Browns are still paying Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. over $30 million combined in 2021 as they are due now, adding Jones and pushing the tally on three wide receivers over $40 million just doesn’t seem either prudent or likely.

Now if the Browns can restructure Landry’s contract, or get Jones to construct a very favorable contract for the team’s salary cap, signing Jones would be a significant upgrade over pending free agent Rashard Higgins.

Examining how PFF’s Top-150 free agent predictions would impact the Lions 2021 offseason

Pro Football Focus’ recently put out their Top-150 free agent list of 2021 and it included six predictions that would impact the Detroit Lions’ offseason.

Pro Football Focus’ recently put out their Top-150 free agent list of 2021 and it included six predictions that would impact the Detroit Lions’ offseason.

Let’s take a look at what PFF projected and examine each player’s situation in the order PFF has them ranked.

Kenny Golladay, WR (PFF rank No. 4)

Kenny Golladay is the highest rated Lions player on the list, checking in as the No. 4 most attractive free agent in the 2021 class.

“Golladay has the size and athleticism required to be a big target on the outside, along with that contested-catch prowess, but he also possesses enough nuance in his route running to function well in any system,” PFF said. “The NFC North has featured some great receivers in recent seasons, and Golladay is up there with the best of them.”

PFF notes that “Golladay is probably the most likely franchise tag recipient in the NFL at this point” and they predicted that if the Lions don’t sign him to a long-term deal, they will use the tag on him.

If Golladay does make it to the free agency period, PFF expects the New York Giants to make a run at him to the tune of “four years, $85 million ($21.25M APY): $57.5 million total guaranteed, $37.5 million fully guaranteed.”

Marvin Jones, WR (PFF rank No. 48)

“Kenny Golladay is not the only Lions wide receiver headed to free agency,” PFF said, “but the team won’t be as hard-pressed to retain Jones, who will be 31 years old before the 2021 league year begins on March 17.”

PFF projects Jones to leave Detroit and land with the Cleveland Browns “for three years, $27 million ($9M APY): $16.5 million total guaranteed, $12.5 million fully guaranteed at signing.”

Melvin Ingram, EDGE (PFF rank No. 55)

“Ingram racked up three straight seasons with 70 or more total pressures before injury broke that streak,” PFF noted, “and 2020 featured the best PFF pass-rushing grade he has posted since 2017, even if the sacks never materialized.”

PFF projects that Ingram will leave the Chargers looking for a different opportunity and join his former head coach Anthony Lynn in Detroit on a two-year contract, worth “$20M ($10M APY): $16M total guaranteed, $14M fully guaranteed at signing”.

Based on the expected one-gapping 3-3-5 defensive scheme the Lions are expected to deploy, Ingram would fill the JACK linebacker role, where his pass-rushing prowess could be featured.

Danny Amendola, Slot (PFF rank No. 85)

“Despite approaching the age of time itself (35 years old), Danny Amendola has quietly been as productive as ever over the past few seasons,” PFF said. “He hasn’t been as big a part of the offense as he once was, with his last 100-target season coming in New England, but for a team that needs a safe pair of hands or someone who runs a lot of routes from the slot, Amendola can still be a useful member of an offense. He has had six straight seasons with a 65.0-plus PFF receiving grade.”

PFF predicts the Lions to re-sign Amendola on a “one year, $5.5 million: $5 million total guaranteed/fully guaranteed at signing.”

If the Lions tag/re-sign Golladay, bring back Amendola, and elevate Quintez Cephus to Marvin Jones’ role, they would shore up a potential problem at wide receiver fairly quickly.

Romeo Okwara, EDGE (PFF rank No. 96)

PFF is lower on Okwara than some of the other national outlets — The Athletic ranks him the 40th best free agent, while he checks in at 38 in ESPN’s rankings — and it appears their ranking is based on his lack of long-term success.

“After over 1,000 snaps of below-average production as a pass-rusher, Okwara finished like a ball of fire with the No. 3 pass-rush grade among edge defenders since Week 12,” PFF said. “That stretch run was great, and it capped a career year that saw him post an 85.4 pass-rush grade, ninth-best in the league. If he’s truly figured something out, Okwara is worth a shot as a No. 2 pass-rusher, but perspective is needed given the 4.5 years of average play prior to his half-season of dominance. ”

PFF predicts that the Lions will be able to sign “Okwara for three years, $19.5 million ($6.5M APY): $10M total guaranteed, $7 million fully guaranteed at signing”.

By signing Ingram and re-signing Okwara — along with Trey Flowers, Austin Bryant, and Julian Okwara still in the fold — the Lions would have enough talent on the EDGE to get creative with their pass-rushing concepts.

Duron Harmon, S (PFF rank #113)

“Harmon earned consistently strong PFF grades in coverage as a designated free safety during his time in New England,” PFF said. “But after being acquired by the Lions, Harmon was just one of a number of things that didn’t function as well in Motown as it had in Foxborough. He played 1,102 snaps for the Lions as a full-time player, but that playing time yielded career lows in overall PFF overall grade (65.3) and PFF coverage grade (64.4). Harmon has coverage skills but now needs to show he wasn’t just a product of the Patriots’ system.”

Despite Harmon finding most of his success as a single-high free safety and the Lions expected to shift to a split-safety look, PFF still believes that the Lions should re-sign Harmon at “two years, $12 million ($6M APY). $5 million total guaranteed/fully guaranteed”.

Former Georgia QB Matt Stafford attracting players to join him in LA

Per Adam Schefter, some of the NFL’s biggest names are looking to join Matt Stafford on the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles has always been an attractive option for big name athletes. But with former No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford now quarterbacking for the Los Angeles Rams, the attraction to play in one of America’s biggest markets has skyrocketed.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Stafford is receiving a lot of interest from some of the NFL’s biggest names, who want to join the former Georgia Bulldog in Los Angeles.

“Shortly after the Rams and Detroit Lions agreed to a trade that would send Stafford out West, the quarterback began receiving texts from players who wanted to come join him in Los Angeles, per sources,” Schefter wrote on Sunday.

Lions free agent wide receiver Marvin Jones is one of those players – and he’s been a favorite target of Stafford for the last five seasons in Detroit.

Over the last five years, Jones has 4,296 receiving yards with the Lions.

Marvin Jones appears interested in reuniting with Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles

Jones is a free agent and a Southern California native

Matthew Stafford might not be the only longtime member of the Detroit Lions to make the move to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason. It seems wide receiver Marvin Jones is keen upon the idea of reuniting with his quarterback in Los Angeles.

Jones is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after leading the Lions in receptions with 76 last year. He caught 289 passes for 4,296 yards and 36 touchdowns in five impressive years with Detroit. Nearly all of that production came from Stafford, and the two were one of the most exciting pitch-and-catch combinations in the league. Stafford will play with the Rams in 2021 after the blockbuster trade between the two teams is finalized in March.

So when former Lions QB and noted Stafford supporter Dan Orlovsky suggested on Twitter that the Rams should sign Jones, the wideout offered an interesting response.

Jones is a Southern California native, so the move would take him back home to his roots. The allure of playing with Stafford again only helps the Rams case.

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Report: Marvin Jones, others interested in joining Matthew Stafford with Rams

Matthew Stafford could help lure free agents to the Rams this offseason.

The Los Angeles Rams’ pending trade for Matthew Stafford could have a ripple effect in Southern California throughout the offseason. With the veteran quarterback set to join Sean McVay in Los Angeles, players could be interested in following him there, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported on Sunday that Stafford began to getting texts from players who were interested in joining him with the Rams.

Shortly after the Rams and Detroit Lions agreed to a trade that would send Matthew Stafford out west, the quarterback began receiving texts from players that wanted to come join him in Los Angeles, per sources.

One of the players who is expected to be interested in joining Stafford in Los Angeles is Marvin Jones Jr. He played the last five years of his career in Detroit with Stafford and is set to be a free agent in March.

The Rams aren’t flush with cap space, but they have methods of freeing up money so that they can go after players when the market opens on March 17. Jones is a dynamic receiver with deep speed to threaten safeties and corners, which is exactly what the Rams need.

Last season with the Lions, Jones caught 76 passes for 978 yards and nine touchdowns, matching his touchdown total from the 2019 campaign. In fact, in five seasons with Detroit, he caught 36 touchdown passes and had 4,296 yards.

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ESPN predicts Packers sign Corey Davis, Titans ink Marvin Jones in free agency

Marvin Jones would be a decent consolation prize if the Titans can’t retain Corey Davis.

Aside from the team’s needs on defense, the biggest decision the Tennessee Titans will have to make this offseason is what to do with wide receiver Corey Davis, who is set to become a free agent.

The Titans rightly declined Davis’ fifth-year option during the 2020 offseason after he failed to produce what you’d expect out of a top-five pick during his first three seasons in the NFL.

Davis responded in a big way though, as he tied or beat his career-highs in receptions (65), receiving yards (984), touchdowns (five) and 100-yard games (five), serving as a key cog in the Titans’ elite offense.

The biggest roadblock for the Titans bringing Davis back is their limited funds, as the team is currently $7.3 million over the cap and can’t afford to get into a bidding war with another suitor. Not to mention, the team has a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball.

In an article predicting where some of the biggest free-agent wide receivers will go in free agency, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks that the Green Bay Packers will ink Davis to a four-year, $52 million deal.

“The Titans probably would like to retain Davis, but if his price tag creeps up past $12 million per season, they will need to move on. I keep coming back to Green Bay, where Aaron Rodgers seems to be trying to induce the Packers into adding that last piece of the puzzle on offense. Davis worked with Matt LaFleur when the Green Bay coach was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator in 2018, so he’s comfortable in that system.”

Barnwell’s projection for Davis’ contract with the Packers would net him $13 million per season, which is a little over $3 million more annually than Spotrac’s market value estimation ($9.8 million per season).

While we’re OK with the Titans paying him around $9 million or so per year, anything near Barnwell’s projection should take Tennessee out of the running for Davis.

If Davis does get offered that much, Tennessee likely won’t be able to match, nor should they. They simply can’t afford to pay that much for a No. 2 receiver and will instead have to look to an alternative.

And, in the eyes of Barnwell, that alternative could be veteran wideout Marvin Jones, who he believes will be signed by Tennessee to a two-year deal worth $13.5 million, or $6.75 million annually.

This is where we’re really going to start seeing players get squeezed, just because there are so many options available. Jones ended up with impressive numbers in 2020, in part because there really wasn’t anyone else to throw to in Detroit. Over the second half of the season, he was targeted 74 times, which was tied for the seventh most in the league. The former Bengals wideout really turned things on in December, racking up nearly half of his receiving yards (475) and touchdowns (four) over the final five games.

I can’t see many teams seeing that five-game stretch and thinking that Jones is going to play that way over the entirety of 2021, let alone beyond. He is a solid blocker, which will help his value; I could see him as a cheaper replacement for Davis as the No. 2 wideout in Tennessee.

Jones, who has spent his career being a solid No. 2 option for teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions, wouldn’t be a bad short-term solution if the Titans can’t retain Davis.

Not only can the 30-year-old move the chains, but he has also proven to be a deep threat, which is something Tennessee needs. Adding to that, Jones has been more consistent than Davis from year-to-year when healthy.

The veteran finished last season with 76 receptions for 978 yards and nine touchdowns with Kenny Golladay sidelined for most of it, and he has a 1,000-yard season under his belt (2017), something Davis does not.

However, the keywords for Jones there are “when healthy” as he had missed a combined total of 10 games between 2018 and 2019 before playing in all 16 in 2020.

Not counting his rookie season, Jones has failed to play 16 games in a season in four of his last eight campaigns, including a 2014 season that saw him miss every contest, so there is certainly some risk involved here.

Whether the Titans sign Davis, Jones, or another solid No. 2 option, general manager Jon Robinson will have more work to do with the receiving corps.

It isn’t clear if the team will retain Adam Humphries, who is a candidate to be cut after two lackluster, injury-plagued seasons in Nashville. If he does get cut, the Titans must find a replacement in the slot, and even if he returns Tennessee needs to add more depth at the position.

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9 free agent WRs the Colts should consider in 2021

Free agent WRs for Indy.

There are several needs the Indianapolis Colts must address during the 2021 offseason, including at the wide receiver position where they could use some more depth.

Fortunately for the Colts, there is a chance they can add some top-tier talent in free agency if they feel like doing so. Whether they actually will is the big question for Chris Ballard but with their salary cap space, they shouldn’t be afraid to bring in a big fish.

The Colts have a solid group of young wide receivers. Michael Pittman Jr. is on track to being the future WR1 while Parris Campbell can hopefully put his injuries behind him. Zach Pascal has been as reliable as it gets as a depth piece. But the Colts can afford to bring in some more talent.

Here are nine free-agent wide receivers the Colts should consider signing this offseason:

Lions WRs Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu react to the Lions interviewing James Urban

Jones and Sanu played under Urban in Cincinnati

Before they were teammates in 2020 in Detroit, Lions wide receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu were also teammates with the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, the duo were classmates in Cincinnati’s 2012 draft haul and played their first four seasons together.

Their position coach with the Bengals was James Urban. Now the QB coach with the Baltimore Ravens, Urban will for the Lions’ vacant offensive coordinator role under new head coach Dan Campbell. And both Jones and Sanu seem pretty interested in the development.

Jones and Sanu interacted on Twitter with their reactions to possibly playing for Urban once again. It’s worth noting that both wideouts are free agents, so they’re not technically Lions once the league year ends in March, but they seem intrigued:

Perhaps hiring Urban could lure back the veteran duo. The Lions currently have just Quintez Cephus and Geronimo Allison under contract at wide receiver for the 2021 season.

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ESPN names 3 Detroit Lions to their Top-50 free agents list for 2021

ESPN names three Detroit Lions to their Top-50 free agents list for 2021, including wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, along with EDGE Romeo Okwara.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert named three Detroit Lions to their Top-50 potential free agents list for 2021 ($), including wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, along with EDGE Romeo Okwara.

In the introduction, Seifert explained how they set up their list, giving an edge to younger players and favoring certain positions over another. He also made an interesting point regarding injuries and team’s perceptions of them.

“Players coming off serious injuries aren’t necessarily fated to one-year ‘prove it’ deals,” Seifert said. “There is enough recent history to suggest that teams are better at anticipating full recoveries and will sometimes offer competitive deals. ”

Thie above statement wasn’t specifically about Golladay, but it applies to him this year, yet doesn’t appear to have impacted his ranking as he checks in at the number eight spot.

“Golladay’s contract year was a bust, as injuries forced him to miss 11 games,” Seifert said. “When healthy, however, Golladay showed that he can be a big-time downfield No. 1 receiver. He combined for 17 touchdown receptions in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, tied for the NFL’s seventh most over that span.”

Okwara was next on the list, landing at 38 on the list. “A waiver claim in 2018, Okwara produced an eye-opening season in 2020 for a team that fell totally from the national radar. He recorded 10 sacks as a part-time starter. Generally speaking, 26-year-old players with a 10-sack season tend to elicit significant interest. It wasn’t a statistical fluke, either. He recorded 7.5 sacks in 2018.”

Jones wrapped up the Lions on the list, ranked 41st. “Jones had his most reliable and productive season in four years, catching 76 passes for 978 yards and nine touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the Lions. It seems inevitable that he’ll move on. Not every team is in the market for an over-30 receiver, but Jones still has playmaking ability.”

No real surprises, as Seifert’s list reflects a similar ranking to our Lions potential unrestricted free agents rankings that we put out at the beginning of the month.