NASHVILLE – Not long after the Titans acquired seven-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones, quarterback Ryan Tannehill went to work.
Tannehill immediately began studying Jones, and what he would bring to the offense in Tennessee.
"I got a cutup of all his catches in the last two years down in Atlanta," Tannehill said. "(I) was able to watch that cutup and just try to see what he did. Obviously, it will be a little bit different in our offense, but just kind of see what he had success doing and the type of plays he was making. It was fun. It was fun for me to be able to see that tape and see the plays he was making."
Tannehill and Jones were able to work on the field briefly in June after the trade with the Falcons, and they were together for just a small amount of time in training camp before Jones suffered an injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of time. Neither player took part in an of the team's preseason contests.
Now, the week leading up to the team's season opener against the Cardinals, the two are on a crash course to improve their chemistry.
Tannehill likes where things are headed. Jones and Tannehill have practiced twice together this week, in fact.
"We are in constant communication on what I am expecting, what I am seeing from in the pocket," Tannehill said of Jones. "How I am expecting him to come out of certain routes, and the adjustments to make. And now that we have been able to get on the field a few times, (I'm) getting his body language down, and his speed.
"It's been good. I feel like we had a really good day together on Monday, and we continued to build on that (Wednesday)."
A 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, Jones has 12,896 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns in his 10-year career, on 848 catches. He's caught over 100 passes in three of his seasons, and he had at least 80 catches and 1,300 yards in every year from 2014-19, with an average of 104 receptions for 1,565 yards during that time period.
Jones is Atlanta's all-time career leader in receptions (848), receiving yards (12,896) and 100-yard receiving games (58), and his 60 touchdown receptions rank second.
Alongside receiver A.J. Brown and some of the team's other playmakers, the expectation is Jones will make a big impact in Tennessee.
"As I studied him on tape, he transitions better than I thought a big guy of his stature and speed would transition," Tannehill said. "Some of the routes he ran in Atlanta the last few years, the cutups that I watched, it's pretty incredible to see the transition with his size and speed.
"I am excited to get to work with him this year."
