Former All Pro WR Julio Jones Signs With The Philadelphia Eagles
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 16: Julio Jones #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catches a touchdown pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.
This is not one we saw coming. The Eagles have made a pretty shocking move. They are signing former All-Pro WR Julio Jones. The move was first reported by Adam Schefter.
At one point in Jones’ career, he had 6 straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards. And one season he even peaked at 1871 yards. He is not that same guy anymore, but he did have 733 yards over 20 games in the last two seasons. And he is not coming here to be a star, he is coming here to be the 3rd WR behind AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.
It is not the first time he shared the field with AJ Brown. The Titans traded for Jones before the 2021 season, under the recommendation of AJ himself. He would catch 31 passes for 434 yards and a TD over 10 games with the Titans. He spent last season with the Buccaneers and was obviously a free agent to this point in 2023.
The Eagles were light on receivers with Quez Watkins going onto the IR. Brown, Smith, and Olamide Zaccheaus were the only other WRs with catches on the roster. Britian Covey is the 4th WR but is solely a Return Man.
We will see if Julio Jones can get up to speed to play this Sunday vs the Dolphins. But Jones brings another threat to the Eagle’s already dangerous offense. Again, obviously, he is not the star he once was. But can he be better than Quez Watkins was? Probably. We saw Watkins fail to get a key first down on a screen where the blocking was perfectly set up. And Watkins had been plagued with a drop problem in the past two seasons. Even if he just gives you what he gave the Bucs last season, it is an upgrade over what they had been getting.
Eagles Week 7 Power Ranking Roundup- No Longer Undefeated
After several ugly wins, the Eagles finally got an ugly loss. And it was about as ugly as it gets. 4 turnovers, just 14 points, and lots of injuries. They are still 5-1, at the top of the NFC East, and tied at the top of the NFC. But a loss like that makes you rethink things, and there are no questions heading into week 7. Are the Eagles as good as we thought? Is Jalen Hurts regressing? Are they too injured to compete at the highest level?
Some of those are a bit of an overreaction. Yes, the offense was terrible against the Jets. But they are still 2nd in yards per game, and 7th in points per game. The offense had a few very good weeks in a row before the debacle in week 6. The loss of Lane Johnson took a heavy toll in that game, but it seems the ankle injury is not that serious. And the defense, despite almost the entire secondary and parts of the D-Line being hurt, actually played pretty well. They held the Jets under 300 yards and didn’t allow a TD until the Jets started at the 8-yard line and they let Breece Hall score.
There are clearly things that need to be fixed. And maybe this team has more issues than they did last year. But last year was an anomaly with how many things went right for the Eagles. A stepback was to be expected, but they can still be Super Bowl winners even if they are not the same team.
But has the National media lost faith in them? Will one loss have the writers who aren’t in Philly hitting the panic button? Let’s find out what they think.
Here is a roundup of where the Eagles fell in the week 7 power rankings around the NFL:
Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.
