Bills' Zay Jones will 'have to earn his way' to top of thin receiving corps
The Buffalo Bills don't have a lot of clarity at the wide receiver position entering the 2018 season beyond incumbent No. 1 Kelvin Benjamin.
Zay Jones, a second-round pick out of the 2017 draft, is believed to have the best chance of landing the No. 2 role, but general manager Brandon Beane isn't ready to hand him the opportunity as he comes off a disappointing rookie campaign and offseason knee surgery.
"He's not just going to necessarily go right to the top of the line. He'll have to earn his way," Beane said in an appearance on "One Bills Live" on Friday. "Part of that will just be just getting his feel. He's only played with Nathan Peterman. He has not got to play with Josh Allen or AJ (McCarron) yet. So that bond there will just have to form."
Jones caught just 27 of 74 targets for 316 yards and two touchdowns over 15 games in his rookie season. He added two receptions for 20 yards in the team's one playoff contest.
He battled a torn labrum throughout 2017 and missed offseason workouts after undergoing knee surgery, but Beane expects him to be ready near the start of training camp.
As Peterman, Allen, and McCarron compete for the starting quarterback job, it seems as though Jones will be fighting with veterans Andre Holmes, Jeremy Kerley, and Kaelin Clay for the right to catch passes from the victor.
With h/t to NewYorkUpstate.com