The Vikings’ Veteran Receiver Who May Sneak Onto the Tail End of the Roster
Tim Jones isn’t the world’s flashiest playmaker.
Nevertheless, the Vikings’ veteran receiver could sneak onto the roster. The job would be to function as the WR5 or WR6. More importantly, Jones would get tasked with being a menace on special teams, someone who shines for Matt Daniels. Proving capable of giving Kevin O’Connell occasional strong play alongside consistent strong play for Mr. Daniels is Jones’ path forward in the offseason competition.
The Vikings’ Veteran Receiver – Tim Jones – & The 53-Man Roster
Start off with the basics.
Tim Jones is a 27-year-old receiver who offers pretty good size at 6’1” and 200 pounds. Far from Calvin Johnson, but a decent step ahead of Jordan Addison and Brandon Powell. Originally, Jones got into the NFL back in 2021 as an undrafted free agent with the Jaguars (the team that stole away coach Grant Udinski, quarterback Nick Mullens, and tight end Johnny Mundt).
Since then, Jones has put together some modest statistics. Just based on the standard numbers, Jones had his best season in 2023. He played in seventeen games, starting a pair. Along the way, Jones turned his 18 targets into 11 catches for 83 yards but zero scores. He did, however, turn 4 of those catches into first downs.
Assume, for the sake of argument, that Tim Jones does make the team. How does he help Kevin O’Connell & Co.?
He’ll prove helpful if he can complement the team’s high-end skill by proving to be a physical blocker. Doing so would allow him to slot into the Trent Sherfield role (who bolted for the Broncos).
Having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones means that targets in the passing game can be pretty scarce. Finding a way to help the team score points without having the ball in his hands – namely, as a blocker – is the key.
So, too, can he help his team win if he proves to be a stalwart for Coach Daniels. Back in 2024, Jones picked up 169 snaps on offense and 300 on special teams. Crunch the numbers and that means 16% of the Jags’ snaps on offense versus 68% on specials.
Do note that he isn’t much of a returner, only snagging a pair of kickoff returns in his career that went for a collective 43 yards. He has, however, earned 6 tackles. Keep in mind, as well, that a major part of his job will have been to be a blocker.
Consider how PFF breaks down his special teams snaps in 2024:
- Kickoff Coverage: 77 Snaps
- Kickoff Return: 97 Snaps
- Punt Coverage: 69 Snaps
- Punt Return: 57 Snaps
When it comes to special teams, Tim Jones can basically do it all. Proving capable of replicating that ability in the Twin Cities while demonstrating to Kevin O’Connell that he’s capable of clearing running lanes will be the key to the veteran sticking around.
A cut would clear $1,370,000 in cap space while leaving behind $500,000 in dead money.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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