The Green Bay Packers signed veteran receiver James Jones last week and he proved very valuable in their 31-23 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Jones ended up catching four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon and was superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers' favorite target in the red zone. Rodgers did find star receiver Randall Cobb for a touchdown as well, but Jones picked up where he left off as one of Rodgers' favorite targets. During the 2012 season with Rodgers and the Packers, Jones caught 14 touchdowns throughout the year.
Green Bay didn't look nearly as good as many were expecting them to and it was a major disappointment that the game was so close. They trailed the Bears at halftime 13-10 and there were moments when it appeared that the Bears had a chance to pull off a big upset. Jay Cutler ended up throwing an interception late in the game, which closed off any chance that Chicago had of coming back for the victory.
At 31 years old, returning to Green Bay could be what saves Jones' career. He didn't have a terrible season with the Oakland Raiders last season, but he was still cut following the year. The New York Giants also decided to cut him following preseason action this week.
Why those teams decided to let him go, no one will ever know. Perhaps he just didn't fit into the offensive system that they ran, but whatever the case is the Packers were happy to bring him back on board following the loss of star wide receiver Jordy Nelson for the season due to a torn ACL.
There aren't many wide receivers who are as good as Jones that are available in free agency immediately before the start of the regular season.
If the Packers want to live up to the hype of being Super Bowl contenders that has surrounded them all season, they must continue getting consistent production from Jones. He is going to be the receiver that balances out the pressure from opposing secondaries. Jones may see more coverage moving forward after his big game this past week, but that will just open up either Cobb or Davante Adams more.
Following his big Week 1 performance, it appears that Jones might very well be a major steal for the Packers. He may not end up having huge performances like he did in Week 1 every single game, but he is more than capable of having them at any given moment.
Looking ahead at the remainder of the season, expect to see Jones continue being a big part of the Green Bay offensive game plan. He has the exact type of skill-set that fits into the role that the Packers needed him to fill and his familiarity with the offensive system puts him in a perfect situation.
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