There is no better slogan for the 2021 Las Vegas Raiders than “next man up.” The Silver and Black dealt with loss after loss to their roster this year, due to both injuries and off-the-field actions.
Repeatedly, their depth was tested, and they were forced to give a lot of playing time to some players who they probably weren’t expecting to before the season started. One of those players was Zay Jones, who had an unexpectedly solid season.
An expected slow start
Jones wasn’t somebody who was expected to have a huge role in the offense this year. As the season began, he wasn’t anywhere near the top of the depth chart, and he was going to have to fight amongst Henry Ruggs III, Darren Waller, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, and others for targets.
Still, the wide receiver acted as a safety blanket for Derek Carr at times. Carr has often spoken about his appreciation for Jones and his hard work, and although his targets were low, he did make some important plays throughout the season. For example, he scored the walk-off touchdown in the Raiders’ Week 1 win against the Baltimore Ravens.
🚨 WALK-OFF TD BY ZAY JONES!🚨
RAIDERS WIN IT IN VEGAS!
(via @NFLBrasil)pic.twitter.com/2oRpWY9hVe
— ESPN (@espn) September 14, 2021
Still, Jones had a slow start besides some bright moments. Through the first seven weeks of the season, he had just seven receptions, with his biggest being that play featured above. It appeared Jones was headed for another year with his small role on the Raiders’ offense.
A Strong End to the Raiders’ Season
Then, due to injuries and off-the-field issues Jones was thrust into a much larger role. He became a favorite- if not the feature target for Carr. With that connection developing, Jones began to turn into some very impressive performances.
He had seven receptions for 59 yards in the Raiders’ dramatic Thanksgiving Day win over the Dallas Cowboys. Two weeks later in Cleveland, Jones had nine catches for 67 yards, including a huge catch late in the fourth quarter that put the Raiders in field goal range and eventually helped them win the game.
In three of the last four Raiders’ games, Jones had eight receptions. His best performance of the season came in a huge, season-deciding win in Indianapolis. Jones had 10 catches for 120 yards, good for an average of 20 yards per catch. Jones also caught the only Raiders’ touchdown in their playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
What Does the Future Hold for Jones?
Jones had a solid season, one better than most expected from him. He finished with 546 yards on 47 receptions and two touchdowns, but just one in the regular season. It is important to note that nearly all of those numbers came in the second half of the season, when the rest of the receiving core was missing pieces.
It’s fair to say Jones could have put up better numbers if he had received targets consistently throughout the season. Still, Jones was a bit inconsistent himself, so that debate is very much up in the air. Jones is a free agent entering this year. With a new general manager and head coach, nobody knows whether Jones will be on the roster next season.
It is worth mentioning that Carr loves Jones, so if Carr himself is on the roster next year there is a case to be made for Jones to stay. Jones did turn in an impressive second half of the year, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see other teams show interest in him. Either way, Jones did produce a solid season for Las Vegas, and the Raiders were fortunate for it this year.
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/David Becker