Nostradamus Question of the Day: Does Matt Jones Make the Roster?
by Josh Kirkendall on Jun 21, 2010 11:19 AM EDT
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Check.
Bengals wide receiver depth chart? Ummm.
While anything can happen from now until the end of the team's preseason, the one thing that's becoming clear is Matt Jones. Similar to Chick Ludwig, I don't believe Matt Jones will stick around when the regular season kicks off this year. After signing in February, Jones has been on the outside looking in. Unfortunately for Jones, the best argument he could make to surpass wide receivers like Andre Caldwell or Jerome Simpson was to have stellar practices during the offseason. Otherwise, he'd have no shot at taking Caldwell's spot for playing time and Jerome Simpson needed to do just a little more than Jones to keep his spot on the roster.
And even though he was signed, it didn't bode well that his first workout was so poor that Yahoo Sports! Jason Cole wondered why the Bengals signed him in the first place. Sometimes you nail it. Sometimes you miss it. Either way, they're looking.
Furthermore, it didn't help that the Bengals drafted two more wide receivers to make his Cincinnati future that much more murkier. Then reports coming from minicamp surfaced that Jones' offseason practices seem ordinary with many notes regarding his speed off the line. Joe Reedy wrote that Jones "has been getting off the line slow." ESPN's John Clayton wrote that Jones "looks a step slow, especially running outside routes" and James Walker writes "I wasn't too impressed with what I saw in minicamp." Carlos Holmes wrote:
Who needs Matt Jones when you have Jerome Simpson? That’s right, I would be flummoxed if Jones made the club over Simpson. There was not much to write home about regarding Jones’ performance in minicamp. He looked like just another guy and was outperformed by Simpson, who has struggled to see the playing field since being drafted. Both receivers are likely on the bubble considering the team’s depth at the position.
Jones is a long strider with little burst off the line and is not the most precise route runner. Not to mention he caught a lot of passes with his body rather than using his hands. You would also expect a guy his size to be more aggressive at the point of attack but that wasn’t the case.
The 6-foot-6, 218-pound Jones was pushed off his routes with little effort by smaller cornerbacks. The receiver made it easy for corners to jam him at the line of scrimmage. Jones is going to have to show the Bengals coaching staff more than adequacy in training camp if he’s looking to revitalize his career in Cincinnati.
Along with Jones, the battle for the sixth spot on the wide receiver depth chart will likely come down to Quan Cosby and Dezmon Briscoe.
- Chad Ochocinco
- Antonio Bryant
- Jordan Shipley
- Andre Caldwell
- Jerome Simpson
- Cosby/Briscoe/Jones
Then you have Freddie Brown, Chris Davis and Maurice Purify who appear as long shots at best.
Nostradamus Question of the Day: Knowing what you know, does Matt Jones make the squad?
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I don’t think Matt Jones will make the final roster, and with Shipley’s return ability and the emergence of Jerome Simpson i would have to say Dez Briscoe will make it because he has a great up side and is still young. Unless Quan Crosby’s return avg. from last year is enough to keep him around for another season But i’d go with Briscoe
Agreed
Jones does not have the upside to keep if other guys are out-efforting him. I think that the team will have to be creative to keep Quan. The 6 deep reciever chart is shaping up to be 85, Bryant, Shipley, Simpson, Briscoe and Caldwell.
He better get his shat together b/c
my plan on him being the unofficial 3rd QB is out the window…
But if he don’t, no love loss here, just some hope loss.
At least
I have a compelling argument against that plan now.
“Guys, the Emergency 3rd QB has to be somebody on the roster!”
Plus Jones looked slow and wasnt in great shape either during mini camp
by OGBuffaloBill on Jun 21, 2010 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree
Briscoe has been my hopeful since he got drafted. I love me some Quasby, but you already have two guys (Bubba and Shifty Shipley) who address the slot. Shipley is also a good return man. So if Quasby held the edge w/return capability, you have to look at Adam Jones next. He is going to make the team(3rd corner/nickel, and as a return man). Factor in Shipley dominating the slot(and possibly as a backup return man) then you can forget about Quasby- leave the spot for Briscoe as he has more upside than M.Jones…..seems pretty straight forward to me, which is a shame b/c like I said before….I love me some Quasby
it comes down to mind over matter....if you don't mind, it won't matter
http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/5/26/1488303/wr-competition-quasby-vs-briscoe
If you go back to the fanposts from almost a month ago I posted this item regarding our WR Depth and asked folks to Poll who they want….very interesting to see the results, then see what people are saying now. (not that anyone was right or wrong, but initial impressions/feelings seem to have changed)….
it comes down to mind over matter....if you don't mind, it won't matter
You know..
a few days ago I posted that Matt Jones hasn’t looked good in camp, then was brutally attacked by the ‘Matt Jones Fan Club’. While no offense was taken, I stand by my opinion that Matt Jones is too slow to be much of a threat anywhere on the field. Attack me if you will, but since I posted my opinion, PFT has said the same and now CJ. Weird.
by 80%OFTHETIMEIMRIGHTEVERYTIME on Jun 21, 2010 12:43 PM EDT reply actions
We can't attack you now, you are expecting it
but wait till you turn your back Muwahahaha!
Sure we can. It is just taht in this case it appears he was right. Not that that usually stops us.
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
Keep Quan and Briscoe. Find a way.
Chad
Bryant
Shipley
Caldwell
Cosby
Briscoe
If one of them gets hurt, then IR them and keep Simpson.
by Anthony Cosenza on Jun 21, 2010 12:43 PM EDT reply actions
I think...
Matt Jones making the roster is unlikely at best.
Nope
The depth chart by week 8 will be
1.Chad
2.Bryant
3.Shipley
4.Caldwell
5.Jones
6.Simpson
7.Briscoe
We’re keeping 7. If we have a player that goes down or need to sign/trade someone to fill a roster spot mid-season we can either trade, release, demote one of these WRs. We can all agree that Chad, Bryant, and Shipley are locks. Same for Caldwell in my eyes, given his rapport with Palmer and his consistent improvement. Simpson has to much time and money invested in him to release now and he should step up this year. Briscoe from what I hear has great potential and could be an impact player so we keep. That leaves Quan and Jones. Cosby is virtually worthless now in the pass game because he’s not an outside guy and we already have the inside well covered, Shipley, Gresham, Caldwell, Bryant, Coffman. So he only serves as PR. He was a great improvement for us there last year but why keep him when he only does that and we have two quality replacements for him in A Jones and Shipley. So that leaves Matt Jones, who Carson Palmer said was a beast the first time they worked out together. Since then I haven’t heard anything negative about Jones from Palmer or any coaches. So who do you believe. Why would we sign him in the first place??? He’s on the team folks
Jones has looked awful while Simpson has looked the complete opposite he was drafted as a project and no better way then to see it through and keep him. He’s showed all offseason that he has been making great strides to become a good player in the NFL
by OGBuffaloBill on Jun 21, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I feel like I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. If they keep 7 WRs, the last one will have to be Cosby because he brings so much to the return game. Briscoe might be the more talented receiver, but he’s not going to see the field as a 7th option anyway. Cosby is the best Bengal return man in 25 years. It’d be hard to let that kind of talent go.
This is our year!
Simpson is coming along great he didn’t play at a big program so he had more to learn before he would be able to make an impact
by OGBuffaloBill on Jun 21, 2010 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Would you not consider Houshmanzadeh
a project that worked out good?
by JamesShively on Jun 21, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
That is not what I meant. Let me clear it up.
Carsonorbust said that
Briscoe might be the more talented receiver, but he’s not going to see the field as a 7th option anyway. Cosby is the best Bengal return man in 25 years. It’d be hard to let that kind of talent go.
I was referring to as to keeping Briscoe as a project. That is what the Bengals did with Simpson.
I could see
Caldwell being the odd man out. Caldwell didn’t make an impact on returns. He had 60% of his yards before the bye and wasn’t effective after Chris Henry went down. Quan came on a bit late in the season and posted better numbers in the play-offs than Caldwell, and was instramental on teams, both in returns and blocking. It would be tough to cut Caldwell, but the 7th and eighth reciever cuts are going to be very tough cuts to make.
I'd rather have Quasby than Bubba
over the last 4-5 game stretch Quasby arguably was the only reciever (other than Ocho) who stepped up AT ALL. i like caldwell alot, but i think quasby brings more value bc of his return game skills….either way- great problem to have!
it comes down to mind over matter....if you don't mind, it won't matter
I think you need to lump simpson in with cosby, jones, and brisco and say two of them will come out on the team and two off, I know all this stuff has come out of mini camp saying simpson is ready to be a good receiver, but I don’t think he makes this team if he can’t help on special teams and maybe briscoe and/or jones can
My Predictions...
Chad
Bryant
Shipley
Simpson
Caldwell
Cosby
Briscoe – PUP
My thinking here is you cant risk Briscoe going to the Practice Squad,he’ll never get thru waivers,I dont see Matt making it and you cant go seven here,if your thinking on keeping Adam Jones,hes the odd man in IMO,cas they have so many corners,the one spot Im not getting is TE,whats their thinking on Coats,is he gonna be hybrid FB,just dont see how they keep him after signing Kelly,and the debate on Matt being a 3rd string QB,thats not happening,but,dont you think it is time to start grooming a QB,I mean Jordan Palmer isnt gonna be a #1 or #2 in the NFL,so why not go after Sage from Minnesota,groom him at 3rd this year and back up next year,Carsons contract is up in 2013,thats only a few years away,and the Bengals dont even have a Plan B in place in case Palmer walks.
The one way I could see going 7 WR
Is going light at safety and using Cosby as a gunner on punt coverage. He had 3 tackles last year and could build on that. Our Safeties have experience throughout the top 4, so Neslon, Herbert or Miles isn’t needed to contribute, but we could keep Miles and Nelson on the PS in case of injury, and go light with WR on the PS. I could definitely see Briscoe PUPed, which gives a lot of freedom, but no practice time.
What do you mean by PUP?
If you mean IR, then ok but I still think that’s a stretch. First, he has to have an injury or he can easily be claimed by another team. That essentially makes it no different than releasing him in order to sign him to the practice squad. Second, once on IR he can’t practice with the team. That means no real development his rookie year. So I guess I’m saying this is just a bad idea in general.
By the way, can we wait for training camp to at least start before we start saying who makes the final roster?!? Maybe even a few weeks into training camp? Call me crazy, but…
by bengaljohnboy on Jun 21, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Physically Unable to Perform
A reserve PUP player can rehab and attend meetings but can not practice and is excempted fro the 53 man roster. They are inactive for 6 weeks then the team can make a decision to make the player active or send him to the IR. It is like a preseason IR, but players can come back from it. The problem is that Briscoe would have to be PUPed before training camp in order to begin the season on the PUP, which means he loses a ton of valueable practicve time and Preseason game experience. Basically it would force him onto the IR and give him a red shirt year.
I don’t think this happens because the team won’t have any idea of what they have in Briscoe.
Essentially agree that...
…that Jones has to beat out Simpson to make the team. I see that as a pretty much head to head competition.
I know a lot of folks viewed the Jones signing as a replacement for Henry. Not so. Jones was signed as insurance. Remember we signed him in Feb—before Bryant and well before the draft. We had no idea if we were going to be able to land Bryant, TO, another FA, or if any WRs worth drafting would be available. Guess what? We got Bryant and drafted two receivers with a lot of potential. Jones brings nothing we don’t already have. We drafted Coffman and Gersham to be “big targets” in the endzone and Antonio Bryant is just as much a deep threat as Ocho (we essenetially have two #1s—just don’t tell Chad!)
If Simpson shows promise as it sounds like he is—Jones is out. Moreover, signing Jones to have him sit inactive makes no sense. I’d rather have Briscoe do that because he has more long term upside. If Briscoe’s on PUP—I’d rather go Cosby.
+1
I was and still am kind of low on Caldwell but I think he can be dependable. Unless we get trade value for him he stays. MJ was signed before AB and Ship and he doesn’t bode well on special teams or his spot will be taken by one who can. He is gone.
by quickslant on Jun 21, 2010 5:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really thought that Matt Jones would have worked out. I wasn’t sure that he would have been a Cedric Benson-type success story, but I thought maybe he could squeak his way onto the roster and get maybe 30 catches, 300 yards and two or three TDs…nothing major. But if he can’t even look better than Jerome Simpson, then there’s a problem. Thank God we only signed him for $700k and we won’t lose a ton of cash on him.
"A fear of heights is illogical. A fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary."
- Dr. Sheldon Cooper
Insurance
Matt Jones was picked up to give us some insurance.
At the time of his deal, we didn’t draft Shipley or Briscoe or Gresham.
I think we would be ok with Matt Jones being on the roster any other year, and I think he’s a slow off the start but deep threat 4th reciever we could have put out there in certain packages. I would have liked that, but the reality is his value sank like the Titanic after the draft.
If it comes down to Jones or Cosby, I think Cosby gets the nod, and Jones gets Das Boot.
absolutely
Not only that, but he was signed before we had Antonio Bryant salted away as well.
Jones was and is here to provide some competition to the guys with better chances to make the roster, as an insurance policy in case we lose a couple of key performers in training camp (as happened at TE last year), and was the safety cushion in case Bryant went elsewhere and our targeted wideouts in the draft were gone by the time we were to pick.
If everyone who figures to make the squad is healthy at the end of the preseason, Jones gets cut loose, with very little money spent on the insurance policy.
Contract
Anyone know when FA hits for these guys? Not that it should determine who makes the team this year but who we can keep could be a factor.
This situation speaks to similar situations I have faced as a businessman mant times
There are no hard decisions. If A is better than B take A. If B is better than A take B. If they are so close you can’t choose, wait till you have to make a decision to see if one separates itself, if not just follow your gut and just make a decision and stand by it with confidence and don’t look back. TC will allow one to sparate himself. If not just choose and go on. .
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
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