LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers' wide receiver room is full with star Juju Smith-Schuster, newly signed veteran Donte Moncrief, promising second-year player James Washington, and rookie Diontae Johnson. Add slot receivers Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers and it's obvious there are many options, but Tevin Jones presents a contrast to both Switzer and Rogers.
Mike Tomlin kept six receivers last year, so it's presumed they will do so again in 2019 after getting burned by a run of injuries at receiver during their loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game a few years ago. But there's no guarantee that Rogers will make the team again with the receivers behind him.
I have Switzer as a virtual lock for the roster because of his growing relationship with Ben Roethlisberger. He's a younger version of Rogers who hasn't fumbled as much and has the versatility to line up in the backfield. Considering Smith-Schuster's comfort in the slot, Johnson's potential as a slot receiver and Switzer's skills, it would make sense for the Steelers to take a sixth receiver who isn't exclusively a slot threat.
That's where Jones comes in. Jones was undrafted out of Memphis in 2016 and signed with the Texans, getting cut in training camp. He was also a camp casualty in 2017 with the Chiefs. The Steelers signed him to a futures contract in January 2018. Let's take a closer look at what he brings to the table:
Jones is in competition with Diontae Spencer and Johnny Holton as other young receivers looking to push Rogers off the final 53-man roster, but I have my eye on Jones because of his style of play. He's 6 foot 2, 225 pounds, which makes him the biggest of the receivers fighting for the last spots. Switzer and Spencer are 5-8, Rogers is 5-10, and Holton is 6-3 but only 190 pounds.
What Holton, Spencer, Switzer and Rogers have on their side is that each of them can contribute as a returner. But Holton is a speedster with a history of fumbling, like Rogers, and Spencer has had an obscene number of drops in camp. Jones also has had his share of drops, but being a bigger body at receiver might intrigue the Steelers enough to keep him around.
Jones has put together some impressive moments in camp, and his three catches for 24 yards and a touchdown Friday against the Buccaneers in the preseason opener showed moments when he won outside the numbers. Considering the slot options they have, a bigger guy who can win matchups down the sideline could be a good reserve to keep around.
Watch how he runs a sharp out route for Mason Rudolph and completes the play with the cornerback closing quickly on him:
Jones has had several impressive sideline catches throughout camp against tight coverage from cornerbacks like Steven Nelson, Artie Burns and Cameron Sutton. But Jones also has to show that he's willing to do the dirty work at receiver to be the sixth man.
That's why I've been impressed with his blocking during camp, and he displayed that progress with a solid block to free up the sideline for Washington during the preseason game. As Washington turns up the sideline, watch for Jones working hard, peeling back, keeping his hands in the front frame of his man and driving him down the sideline.
But Jones' biggest challenges come with catching the football and whether he'll contribute enough on special teams. He had a bad drop on a ball from Devlin Hodges. Even though the ball was slightly behind, he needed to pull that in:
Combine that with Jones' lack of return ability, and you have a receiver who hasn't put it all together yet. But what he has on his side is that he's the only big-bodied receiver of that group. Watch for whether he finds a way to contribute on special teams and how many times he can win along the sidelines.
Those will most likely determine if Jones wins or loses a job this preseason.
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