Eagles sign WR Julio Jones: How he fits in with AJ Brown amid pressing concerns at safety
Wide receiver wasn't a weakness for the Eagles because A.J. Brown is having another Pro Bowl-caliber season.
But depth at the position was becoming a concern behind him and DeVonta Smith.
So the Eagles addressed that Tuesday by adding one of the best wide receivers of the past decade in Julio Jones. They're signing him to the practice squad with the expectation that he'll be elevated to the 53-man roster when he's ready.
The Eagles have other more pressing needs at other positions, primarily at safety. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31. By signing Jones, the Eagles didn't have to give up anything.
Still, the Eagles were without two safeties in their 20-14 loss to the Jets, and then Reed Blankenship left with a ribs injury. By the end of the game, they were using cornerback Mekhi Garner, who made his NFL debut against the Jets, at safety. Garner signed as an undrafted free agent last spring as a cornerback.
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"That's part of our process," Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai said about figuring out who's available in the secondary. "Monday and Tuesday, we figure out who we got, and then we roll with the punches every day as the guys get healthy. That's part of our process. Monday and Tuesday we figure out who we got, and then we roll with the punches every day as the guys get healthy. Or they may not be healthy by the end of the week and then we go."
It's expected that the Eagles will address the secondary before the trade deadline.
As for Jones, the 34-year-old is entering his 13th NFL season. He spent the first 10 with the Atlanta Falcons, who made him the No. 6 overall pick in 2011. He had seven seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving, and led the NFL twice in receiving yards, with 1,871 in 2015 and 1,677 in 2018.
The Falcons traded Jones to Tennessee in 2021, where he was a teammate with Brown. But the Titans released him after the season, then traded Brown to the Eagles. Jones spent last season with Tampa Bay, where he had 24 catches for 299 yards, both career lows, in 10 games.
Injuries have taken a toll on Jones lately. He hasn't played in more than 10 games since 2019, which was also his last 1,000-yard receiving season.
How Julio Jones fits in with Jalen Hurts, Eagles offense
Jones should fit in as the third receiver, in place of Quez Watkins, who's on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Jones should give quarterback Jalen Hurts a reliable target. And he should also help Brown and Smith.
The Eagles have used Olamide Zaccheaus as the third receiver in place of Watkins, who also missed two games earlier in the season with the hamstring injury. But Zaccheaus only has 4 catches for 74 yards this season.
Brown, meanwhile, is second in the NFL with 672 yards receiving, and has had four straight games with at least 100 yards receiving. That makes him just the third Eagles player to do that. Only Terrell Owens in 2004 has had a longer streak with five straight 100-yard games.
Smith, who had 1,196 yards receiving last season, isn't on a similar pace so far this season. He has 334 yards on 28 receptions. Smith had two drops on Sunday in the Eagles' 20-14 loss to the Jets. After the game, when asked if he took his eye off the ball, Smith replied:
"I just (expletive) dropped them," he said. "I gotta be better ... Ain’t nothing to learn. Catch the damn ball."
Jones has done that throughout his career.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Julio Jones signs with Philadelphia Eagles, joins AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith
