Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Julio Jones: 'He’s still got pop in his legs'
The Philadelphia Eagles added a seven-time NFL Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro on Tuesday, signing 34-year-old wide receiver Julio Jones to a one-year deal. Can he further enhance the Eagles' passing game?
After saying that Jones adds receiver depth with Quez Watkins out (hamstring injury) and that "the film was good" on Jones from the 2022 season, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni explained how he believes the veteran has plenty left in the tank.
"You're always looking at the explosion. Does he still have the juice in his legs, the ability to run, the ability to get out of cuts, the ability to make plays and all those things? We thought all those things [were] still good," Sirianni said at his Wednesday media availability. "You can look at the stats, you can do all those different things, but it's about putting the tape on and seeing what you see and what you think. And then seeing him work out the other day, we're like, ‘Yeah, he’s still got a lot of pop in his legs,' and we're excited about that."
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Jones spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 10 games, he had 24 receptions for 299 yards and two touchdowns. He also had seven receptions for 74 yards and one touchdown in Tampa Bay's wild-card round loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Jones spent the first 10 seasons of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, for whom he posted seven 1,000-plus yard seasons. He then had a one-year stint with the Tennessee Titans before spending the 2022 season in Tampa Bay.
The veteran wideout joins a high-octane Philadelphia offense, headlined by wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. On the whole, the Eagles are averaging 395.0 total yards (second in NFL) and 25.8 points (fifth) per game.
That said, quarterback Jalen Hurts has underwhelmed across Philadelphia's first six games after finishing as the runner-up for NFL MVP last season. He has totaled 1,542 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 84.7 passer rating, while completing 66.2% of his passes. Hurts has also rushed for 253 yards and five touchdowns.
The Eagles are coming off a brutal 20-14 loss, their first of the year, on the road to the New York Jets, in which Hurts threw a costly interception in the closing minutes. Hurts & Co. look to rebound in Week 7, when they host Tua Tagovailoa and the 5-1 Miami Dolphins.
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