Detroit Lions coach calls this wide receiver on the verge
After a dominating performance through the first half of last season, Detroit Lions’ head coach Jim Caldwell thinks this young wide receiver is on the verge.
Trying to fill the shoes of a legend like former Detroit Lions‘ wide receiver Calvin Johnson can be daunting. Now, no one is mistaking current Lions’ wide out Marvin Jones Jr. for Megatron. But the fact Jones signed a five-year, $40 million contract in Detroit the day after Johnson announced his retirement means the two receivers will forever be linked.
And actually, for the first half of last season, Jones was doing Johnson-like things. In fact, against the Green Bay Packers in Week Three, the Lions’ recent free agent signing posted a Megatron-like six catches for 205 yards and two score performance.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones ranked third in the NFL in WR Rating, fifth in deep passing catch rate and sixth in yards per route run through the first seven games of last season. In that span, he recorded 33 receptions for 623 yards and four touchdowns.
After Week Seven, Jones’ production dropped significantly. He posted just 22 catches for 306 yards and zero scores in his final nine games of the season. Jones finished the year ranked 24th in WR rating, 35th in deep passing catch rate and 46th in yards per route. (source: PFF)
But according to Lions’ head coach Jim Caldwell, Jones’ actions this offseason lead him to believe the 27-year old wide out will be able to sustain his high level of production throughout the entire upcoming season.
"“I think Marvin [Jones Jr.] started out the season extremely well,” Caldwell told the team’s official website during OTAs. “He’s been doing even better this spring. He’s had one of those springs that you kind of look to. This guy is right there on the verge of maintaining that kind of explosive start that he had last year. He’s really, really had a real good spring.”"
The fact that Jones has been working out with future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss in the offseason will certainly help.
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If the Detroit Lions’ are going to return to the playoffs this year, they are going to need a consistent performance from Marvin Jones Jr. And it appears the young receiver is doing everything he can this offseason to try and make that happen.