Welcome back to SideLion Report’s 4 Questions series. This week we tackle the Lions biggest signing of the month.
Last week we learned a lot about Johnson Bademosi and Stefan Charles. But the free agent that’s drawing the most attention is Wide Receiver Marvin Jones. interestingly enough, the Lions first ever free agent signing came from the Cincinnati Bengals, It seems as though it’s fate that under a new regime in 2016, the Lions go after another Bengals offensive weapon.
Now what we know is that Marvin Jones is quite an athlete and has continued to improve his game every year he’s been in the league. What also helps is that much like Golden Tate, He’s a sure handed receiver. Which is exactly what the Lions need after dealing with dropped passes for so long. But what about the stuff we don’t know? For that we had to travel to Cincinnati where for some reason they put noodles in their chili. We got in touch with our pal Dylan Testin, editor over at Stripe Hype to get some answers on Mr. Marvin. Here’s what we got.
SLR: Obviously Marvin Jones will never be able to fill Calvin Johnson’s shoes. But is he able to take on a large role in an offense?
SH: “I think he will be. As you stated, no one will be able to do what Calvin did in Detroit, but he should be successful in that offense. I am going to go ahead and assume they are going to play Golden Tate at the one, and have Jones play the two, so he should be able to fill in well. With him being so young, he should be able to transition well enough. But like you said, he won’t be able to match up with Calvin.”
SLR: What should excite Lions fans about Jones?
SH: “He is on the rise. He has seen an increase in his catches each year of his career, going from 18 to 51, to 65 last season. His only drop off was touchdowns, when he went from 10 in 2014 to 4 last season. He was a steal for the Lions, even though he has never been a primary target, but is the ideal two. At 6’2″ 200 lbs. and 26 years old, he was well worth the $8 million per year the Lions invested in him.”
SLR: What should concern them?
SH: “His inconsistency. As good as he has been as the secondary receiver for the Bengals, he has had times where he has just disappeared. Another concern is that he has never had to go out and prove himself. He has always played behind AJ Green, who is Cincinnati’s version of Calvin.”
SLR: Did the Lions make the right move by signing Jones?
SH: “I believe so. When Calvin retired, it freed up $11 million in cap, and now they are paying two receivers who both play the 2, $13 million combined. They had to do something to make up for the loss of Calvin, and with the draft class being as weak as it is at the receiver position, they made the right move by signing arguably the best receiver on the market.”
I’d like to thank Dylan Testin and Stripe Hype for their help today. Be on the look out for the next 4 Questions. This time we’re going to the Big Apple. Also during draft time we will be all over learning everything we can about any new Detroit Lion in 2016.