We are one day away from the 2016 NFL Free Agency period, and there are reports of multiple teams attempting to sign former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones. Jones is considered the best wide receiver in this free agent class after Alshon Jeffery was hit with the franchise tag. His former teammate Mohamed Sanu will be another highly sought after free agent, but Jones has the slight edge.
Jones will now look to land with a team that will pay him starting wide receiver money. The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons are all looking to sign Jones during the free agency period. The Browns are pretty interesting considering that they are the only other team in Cleveland besides the Bengals.
The Browns are currently dealing with losing free agent Travis Benjamin as he continues to get offers from other franchises. If Benjamin goes, then Jones's value would increase tenfold to Cleveland, as they would struggle without a decent supporting cast of wide receivers. Josh Gordon has also yet to be reinstated, and it is not yet known when he will be allowed to return to the NFL.
The Browns could give Jones a huge role in former Cincinnati Bengals coach Hue Jackson's offense, not to mention a ton of money. The Titans would make an intriguing option, as sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota is always looking for new targets in this growing offense. The Titans are a bit of a surprise, but with some unproven players such as Dorial Green-Beckham, Tennessee would probably like to have as much insurance as they can heading into the 2016 season.
The Falcons' need for a backup wide receiver is incredibly high on their list of offseason needs. Leonard Hankerson was supposed to fill the number 2/3 receiver role, and he failed to produce effectively as the season went on. Roddy White's release does not come as a surprise considering the drop off of production he had in 2015.
White was supposed to be the compliment to Julio Jones, but it appears that White aged a bit faster than the Falcons were hoping for. Now, the Falcons are heading into the draft with two receiver spots to fill. This level of need cannot be ignored, so I would expect them to make Jones their most expensive free agent acquisition. There are plenty of teams who could use Jones in their offense, so his phone should not be quiet during the free agency period.
