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NFL Rumors: Zay Jones to Visit Cowboys, Chiefs After Titans, Cardinals Meetings

Mike Chiari

Free-agent wide receiver Zay Jones is set to visit with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he is scheduled to visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.

Jones, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, has already met with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.

A 2017 second-round pick out of East Carolina, Jones has played for the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders and Jags during his seven-year NFL career.

After delivering fairly modest production over his first five NFL seasons, Jones broke out in 2022, which was his first campaign in Jacksonville.

Starting 15 of the 16 games he appeared in, Jones set career highs with 82 receptions for 823 yards on 121 targets and also scored five touchdowns.

However, Calvin Ridley returned from a gambling suspension in time for the start of the 2023 season, resulting in Jones falling down the pecking order behind Ridley, Christian Kirk and even tight end Evan Engram.

The 29-year-old Jones also missed time due to injury, resulting in him finishing with 34 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns over nine games.

Jacksonville went on to use the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., which spelled the end of Jones' tenure with the Jaguars, as they released him after the draft.

Now, Jones has plenty of options at his disposal in free agency, and the Cowboys could prove to be an ideal landing spot.

For starters, Jones was born in Dallas and played his high school football in Austin, Texas, so signing with the Cowboys would be a homecoming.

Also, in the wake of the Cowboys releasing Michael Gallup, they have a clear need for a wide receiver to play alongside superstar CeeDee Lamb and veteran Brandin Cooks.

It is possible that 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert or 2024 sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy could develop into the complementary receiver they are looking for, but Jones is a player who has already thrived in that role in the NFL.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is coming off the best season of his career, as he led the NFL in passing touchdowns (36) and was third in passing yardage (4,516) and fourth in passing attempts (590).

That suggests there would be plenty of targets to go around for Lamb, Cooks and Jones should Jones opt to sign with Dallas.

Since the Titans signed former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd following their meeting with Jones, the Cowboys, Chiefs and Cardinals seem positioned as the top two contenders to sign Jones as of now.

Kansas City added Xavier Worthy in the first round of the NFL draft, but the team is looking to rebuild its receiver room after struggles at the position in 2023.

   

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