The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of competition at the wide receiver position, and it sounds like someone else wants in the mix. Free agent wide receiver James Jones is training in the Bay Area, and in a recent interview on SiriusXM NFL radio, he said he'd be interested if the 49ers called.
FA WR James Jones: I'm training right here in the Bay Area and I would love to stay at home and play for the #49ers.
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 1, 2016
Jones grew up in the South Bay, attending high school in San Jose, and playing three years of college football at San Jose State. He was a third round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2007, and spent seven years with them. He spent the 2014 season with the Oakland Raiders, and then was signed by the New York Giants in 2015. He was released at the end of training camp, and returned to the Packers for the season.
Jones finished last season with 50 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. He had a career-high 17.8 yards per reception. That's certainly an impressive number, but given that he is 32, a regression would seem like a real possibility. Our Packers blog discussed why Jones would be a poor fit in Green Bay this year.
I'd be surprised if the 49ers brought in Jones at this point. They do have a free roster spot, but a running back seems like a more likely acquisition. The 49ers have a lot of question marks at wide receiver, so Jones would certainly bring a potential measure of stability. However, given that this team has so many question marks about its talent in 2016, I'm open to just seeing what the crop of young receivers can do. They could get a whole lot of nothing from these guys, but I want to see what they can do with the limited snaps available.