Raiders FA WR targets: Marvin Jones – Detroit Lions
Marvin Jones has made a living in the NFL being a big play target and has feasted mostly as the number 2 or 3 receiver on his team. Jones put up solid numbers for two seasons in Cincinnati as the number 2 behind AJ Green before moving to Detroit and settling in to a 1A role alongside Golden Tate for two years.
He settled back in to his familiar number 2 role after the emergence of Kenny Golladay, more on him later, for two years before injury limited him to just five games and forced Jones back in to the spotlight. So what would Jones’ role be with the Raiders were they to bring him to Las Vegas?
Jones has always had elite speed and is known for being an excellent jump ball receiver and he would be another excellent, and possibly cheap, option for the Raiders. He was just 22 yards short of 1,000 yards in a difficult season for the Lions that saw Matt Stafford battle through a laundry list of injuries all year and has proven he can be productive in multiple situations.
The former Cal Bear has just one 1,000-yard season in his 8-year career, but he has scored 36 touchdowns in 69 games for the Lions, which comes out to more than a touchdown every other game which is a tremendous total for a number 2 receiver.
Jones is a tremendous red zone threat and is at the perfect stage in his career where he won’t command a massive multi-year contract but can still perform at a high level. If the Raiders are looking for a cut-price option to bolster the receiving group they should look no further than Marvin Jones.