Jones’ role figures to grow
ALAMEDA » Zay Jones isn’t the demanding type, but promises to be ready if Derek Carr looks his way.
Jones has 11 receptions for 88 yards. Since coming aboard by trade from the Buffalo Bills, Jones has played 226 snaps in five games and Carr has thrown in his direction 14 times. In a 34-3 loss to the New York Jets, Jones played 52 snaps and caught both passes thrown his way for 5 yards.
“I feel very comfortable,” Jones said. “I can’t control targets, though. I feel like I’ve been doing my job, getting good separation, getting open. That stuff will come.”
With the wide receiver position a state of flux all season, Jones’ role could increase Sunday when the Raiders (6-5) visit the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) at Arrowhead Stadium. Against the Jets, slot receiver Hunter Renfrow sustained a cracked rib and punctured lung. He’ll miss the Kansas City game likely and two more.
“With him out, it definitely opens the door for other guys to get more catches,” Carr said.
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson echoed that sentiment.
“A number of players will have their roles increase and not just Zay, but Zay is certainly one of them,” Olson said. “When you lose a play-maker, other play-makers need to step up.”
Going into training camp, wide receiver was considered one of the Raiders strongest positions. They’d traded third- and fifth-round draft picks for Antonio Brown and signed Tyrell Williams to a four-year free-agent con
tract worth a maximum of $44 million.
Brown, of course, self-destructed, was released before Week 1 and is currently out of football. Williams has missed two games with a foot injury, has dropped some key passes and has 32 receptions for 480 yards and five touchdowns.
They still have had nine different wideouts catch passes as coach Jon Gruden searches for the right combination. Three of them — Ryan Grant, J.J. Nelson and Dwayne Harris — are no longer on the roster. Grant and Nelson were released while Harris is on injured reserve.
Carr’s favorite target among the wideouts of late on third down has been Renfrow, the sixth-round draft pick from Clemson with a knack for getting open as a slot receiver. He leads the Raiders receivers with 36 receptions for 396 yards.
With Jones arriving Oct.8 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick from Buffalo, he simply can’t match the time Carr and Renfrow have put in together to create chemistry.
“We spend a lot of time during training camp before every walkthrough. We would walk the field and go over certain types of routes we knew we were going to throw. We did every day,” Carr said. “When you have that kind of chemistry and time built over time you just trust somebody.”
Jones, like the rest of the receivers corps, is polite, earnest and serious about his job. The last diva left town before Week 1.
“I wasn’t here in training camp, OTAs, where you get a lot of continuity with the quarterback as opposed to coming in midseason,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of trust involved with route-running and throwing the ball as well. We’re building that, But as far as me testing the waters, no I don’t feel like that. I’m pretty caught up to speed as far as where I am in this offense.”
Jones got some snaps in the slot against the Jets and played extensively inside during a wildly productive college career at East Carolina. Other possibilities cited by Gruden included Keelan Doss and tight ends Darren Waller and Derek Carrier.
Carr said Renfrow’s absence should open up more chances for Jones.
“With Waller, with Tyrell, when Hunter was playing, with our running backs with the way coach likes to get them involved in the pass game, it’s hard to find a place for ‘Where’s my five catches?’ ” Carr said. “I definitely see with Hunter out, he’s got to step up and be a guy for us, which he is.”
Not that Jones plans on asking for five catches. Or any catches, for that matter.
“That’s not me as a person. As a competitor, everyone wants the ball,” Jones said. “But Derek’s intelligent. He knows. He watches the film too.”
• Slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, out the last two games after sustaining a hamstring strain at the end of the Chargers game, was limited in practice but is expected to be back in the lineup against Kansas City.
“He looks good,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “He was pretty good last week, we just felt like sitting out one more week he’d be at 100 percent and that’s what he is now.”
Other players listed as limited were center Rodney Hudson (ankle), running back Josh Jacobs (ankle) and tackle David Sharpe (calf). Tackle Trent Brown (knee) was a full participant.
The only Chiefs of note who did not practice Thursday were running back Damien Williams (rib) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (illness).