Detroit Lions: Marvin Jones could have a breakout season in 2017

As he enters his second year as a member of the Detroit Lions, Marvin Jones is ready to turn some heads in the Motor City and around the league.

When the Detroit Lions signed former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones to a five-year, $40 million dollar contract last March, it was clear that the team had big plans for him. Jones was joining a team that had just endured the retirement of All-Pro wideout Calvin Johnson, and was expected to immediately contribute as a downfield target in the Lions’ vertical attack. Forming a one-two punch with Golden Tate, Jones would theoretically help the passing game retain much of the trademark potency it had enjoyed in previous years.

During the opening contests of the 2016 NFL season, the early returns were very promising. In fact, after a sensational Week 3 performance against the Green Bay Packers, Jones led the league in receiving, with 18 catches for 408 yards and two touchdowns to his credit. It appeared that the Lions’ investment would pay dividends as Jones proved to be a reliable deep ball target, seemingly getting open at will, and clearing 80 receiving yards in each game.

Of course, as is often the case with torrid statistical starts, things quickly slowed down in a big way and Jones would only surpass 80 yards once more over the remainder of the season. In fact, Jones was held to fewer that 60 yards eight times as the year unfolded, and the former Bengal finished the campaign with only 55 catches for 930 yards and four touchdowns (he missed a Week 13 contest against the New Orleans Saints).

Clearly, defenses shifted their focus towards him, took away the deep pass, and made his life much more difficult.

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After the Lions’ Super Bowl dreams ended with a disappointing 26-6 Wild Card Round loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Jones ultimately expressed frustration about the way his season had played out (per Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press):

"“When you look at how I started, you wouldn’t think it would end this way. Obviously, I had some uncharacteristic drops here and there and early on. I never had a season like this. I don’t know what to say.”"

While Jones himself might not be entirely satisfied with his performance, there was plenty of reason for optimism as it related to his role on the team. The added attention Jones received cleared the way for Tate to step up his production as the season wore on, allowing the veteran to rack up 91 catches, 1,077 yards, and four touchdowns of his own. Furthermore, the Lions won nine games, and their playoff season earned them some national respectability in the process.

Without question, Jones failed to duplicate the production of Johnson, but fans couldn’t possibly expect him to replace a Hall of Fame talent like the NFL’s single season receiving yardage record holder. What he did do was add a dimension to the offense that it needed, while providing a solid, workmanlike contribution to the team’s success. All in all, it may not have been ideal, but it was a step in the right direction.

Still, many Lions fans and pundits were left wanting more. Whether that’s particularly fair to Jones or not is another matter altogether, but there are numerous reasons why 2017 could be a special season for the 27-year-old pass catcher.

For starters, Jones is entering his second offseason in Jim Bob Cooter‘s offense, and players often take a significant step forward as they become more familiar with the team’s playbook and verbiage. Last season, Jones was expected to dive right into a new scheme, absorb all the material immediately, and provide near-elite production from day one. That’s hardly a reasonable expectation for any player, let alone a former complementary wideout only entering his fourth season in the league.

Now that Jones is fully up to speed, and fully entrenched as a member of this team, there is reason to expect that he will be much more comfortable with the offensive game plan. Additionally, his chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford should improve as they spend another offseason working together, and this will likely lead to fewer miscues.

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Furthermore, he will likely enjoy a much larger target share than he did last year. While his 103 targets were the second-highest total on the team in 2016 (behind Tate’s 135), recent events suggest that number could improve significantly.

Indeed, the Lions appear to have assigned Anquan Boldin‘s No. 80 to rookie tight end Michael Roberts (per MLive.com), seemingly adding merit to the speculation that Boldin might not return for a second season in the Motor City. If this does, in fact, prove to be the case, that leaves the former Super Bowl winner’s 95 targets up for grabs, and it’s reasonable to expect that Jones will absorb a significant portion of them.

The Lions also spent a third-round pick on Northern Illinois wideout Kenny Golladay, and while the team has high hopes for him, he profiles as a bit of a project and is unlikely to make a significant impact as a rookie. Thus, the passing game will clearly prioritize Tate and Jones, as well as tight end Eric Ebron and running back Theo Riddick. On a team that likes to put the ball in the air, there will be plenty of targets to go around, and Jones will be a primary beneficiary.

Finally, on paper, Jones faces a very favorable schedule next season. In fact, eight of the Lions’ 2017 opponents were bottom-12 pass defenses (in terms of yards allowed) in 2016. While it stands to reason that a number of these teams will improve on the back end, it is undeniable that Jones finds himself in a very desirable situation as the regular season approaches.

The combination of experience, opportunity, and situation is clearly a strong recipe for success, and Jones is prepared to capitalize on this unique set of circumstances as the season approaches. The team invested a significant amount of capital in him for a reason, and he will be given every chance to succeed in Honolulu blue.

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After only one season in Detroit, it is far too soon to accurately state what he can bring to this organization. But one thing is absolutely certain: Detroit Lions fans will learn a lot more about who Marvin Jones really is in 2017, and they could very well be in for a pleasant surprise.