As wide receiver options continue to wane for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, one name that seemingly made sense was Zay Jones, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. But Jones will take a visit to the Tennessee Titans today, where he has a connection to Tennessee OC Nick Holz, who served as Jacksonville’s passing game coordinator in 2023. Ian Rapoport reported the visit on Twitter.
Jones isn’t an ideal fit for the Steelers, but there isn’t really one available in free agency who is. Jones comes with some baggage, as he recently had a domestic battery charge dropped in March, and it’s not often that the Steelers take a risk on players who may come with character red flags. But with the team needing a bigger receiver to play opposite George Pickens, the 6-2 Jones could be an option as someone who has 116 receptions for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns over 25 games the last two seasons.
Jones was set to make $7.7 million from Jacksonville in 2024 prior to his release, and it’s likely his next contract will come in much lower than that. He can play outside or in the slot, something that will be valued in Arthur Smith’s offense this year, but at this point, Jones doesn’t seem like a likely option for the Steelers.
A second-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2017, Jones hasn’t yet lived up to his draft status, but he’s been a pretty productive receiver in the league recently, although injuries hampered his 2023 season. Given his connection to the Titans and the team still looking to add a receiver, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they wrapped things up and signed Jones at some point this week, taking another option off the board for Pittsburgh.
The trade market or waiting for more players to get released may be the best bet for Pittsburgh to add a receiver ahead of the season, as names like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage are among the most attractive free agent options. It would be a surprise if the Steelers didn’t add to their receiver room in some form or fashion, and we’ll see what route they take ahead of Week 1 to improve the room alongside Pickens and rookie Roman Wilson.
