Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones (7) runs to the sideline before a NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-9. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

The Jacksonville Jaguars could be bringing a familiar face back to Duval.

The Jaguars hosted veteran wide receiver Zay Jones for a visit on Monday as they prepare to kick off training camp later this week.

With veterans set to report to camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, this gave the Jaguars a last-second look at a potential veteran to bring to camp.

Jones played for the Jaguars from 2022 - 2023 before spending the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, and he certainly had a few big moments with the franchise.

But why exactly did the Jaguars bring in Jones for a visit? We break down a few reasons the interest might make sense.

Lack of WR Depth on Third Level of Roster I did say over the weekend that I expected the Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone to add a new face.

And while Jones has still not quite been added to the Jaguars' 90-man roster officially, it does make sense for the Jaguars to look at some wide receiver depth.

Most of the Jaguars' wide receiver rooms set as far as things go for the 53-man roster, but they could certainly still boost their overall depth on the back half of the receiver room.

Outside of the Jaguars' top four receivers of Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, and Travis Hunter, and their two rookies Josh Cameron and CJ Williams, the Jaguars' receiver room of bubble players is made up of the following names: Brady Boyd, Chandler Brayboy, Tim Jones, Ben Patterson, Trebor Pena, Austin Trammell, and Michael Wortham.

Only two of those players (Jones and Trammell) have caught a pass in an NFL game before, and most of the rest of the names are undrafted free agents.

The Jaguars have a great wide receiver room in terms of the 53-man roster, but Jones could certainly help their depth when you expand it to the 90-man roster.

His Experience With Trevor Lawrence Is it ever really a bad idea to bring back an old face? Don't answer that question because in many cases it is indeed a bad idea, but this certainly would not feel like one! This would be a low-stakes move that would not impact the Jaguars' projected win total or the ceiling of the passing game, nothing like when the Jaguars signed Jones the first time in 2022.

But it is a move that would reunite Trevor Lawrence with someone who he threw nearly 200 passes to over two seasons.

A lot has changed in Jacksonville since Jones and Lawrence last connected on a completion, but this is training camp and not the middle of the season.

If the Jaguars are looking for improved wide receiver depth for the later stages of the roster, then it makes sense to bring in someone who Lawrence already has instant chemistry with.

Lawrece and Jones had a great season together in 2022, a year that would end up being the best of Jones' career.

Who is to say that isn't worth some camp interest? Ties With Coaching Staff There are a few different coaches who have crossed paths when Jones in the past.

Jaguars quarterbacks coach Spencer Whipple was a part of the Arizona Cardinals offensive coaching staff when Jones was there in 2024, and Jones appeared in 11 games for the Cardinals that season, while starting two.

In short.

Whipple has some decent recent experience with Jones, and knows what the latest version of Jones is able to do as he enters the 10th season of his NFL career.

But there is another coach on the Jaguars' staff who has spent even more time with Jones: wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett, who just happens to be pretty important when it comes to how the Jaguars evaluate their wide receiver room.

Bennett coached Jones when he was the wide receivers coach with the Raiders, with Jones spending three seasons (2019-2021) with the Raiders while Bennett was their wide receivers coach.

Those three years just happened to help Jones get his NFL career back on track after his tenure with the Buffalo Bills ended early.

Jones had what was, at the time, one of the best years of his entire career in 2021 with 47 catches for 546 yards and one touchdown.

The production from Jones that year likely had a big factor with the Jaguars going out and giving him a decently-sized contract in free agency in the following March, setting up his Jaguars tenure.

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019.

Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News.

Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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