The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran receiver Zay Jones on Tuesday morning and the Tennessee Titans could take advantage of that move.

Zay Jones isn’t a WR1 or a WR2, but the Titans wouldn’t need him to be because they already have those spots filled with former All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins and former second-team All-Pro Calvin Ridley.

Instead, Zay Jones could be someone who “competes” with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the WR4* role. The reason I have that as an asterisk is because WR3 is going to be Treylon Burks whether you like it or not. I still think that Burks can be a starter in this league, but if he can’t stay healthy this season that might just be the end of his time in Tennessee.

The injury concerns for Burks are exactly why having an experienced WR4* is important because history has shown that whoever has that role is going to be elevated to WR3 by October.

Tennessee Titans fans have a bad habit of jumping on the idea of signing any free agent that hits the market, but Zay Jones is a little different.

Jones spent time with new Tennessee Titans OC Nick Holz when he was conducting the Jags passing attack. That connection was part of the reason why the Titans went after Calvin Ridley so hard, and if Holz vouches for Jones then there could be another reunion.

Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan haven’t been subtle about moving on from guys who were on the roster last season. They were in on guys like Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair, but they let everyone from Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry to Aaron Brewer, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Chris Moore, Kristian Fulton, K’Von Wallace, and other guys walk without really making any real effort to bring them back.

They brought back NWI to fill out the depth chart, but this isn’t a coaching staff or a front office that was in place when they brought him in as a UDFA. That means that he has spent more time with guys in Cleveland (Mike Vrabel), Arizona (Monti Ossenfort), and New York (Ryan Cowden) than he has with Ran Carthon, so there isn’t a real attachment between the two.

Signing Zay Jones to a two-year contract would make a lot of sense. The Titans would be getting him for his age 29 and 30 seasons which are still solid years for receivers historically.

That timeline also means you would have Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, Zay Jones, Kyle Philips, and Jha’Quan Jackson all under contract for 2025. That means the Titans wouldn’t be forced to overpay for a veteran wide receiver in free agency next offseason where average receivers are making $10-13 million AAV.

This isn’t a move that skyrockets the Titans win total, but it would make the team’s depth at wide receiver better and it would give them more flexibility in the future. The only question is how much it costs to make a move like this and whether Jones would be willing to take a smaller offer to stay in a tax-free state and collect some of that dead money from the Jaguars.