Tim Jones has survived a third cutdown day for the Jacksonville Jaguars .
It's never easy to make an NFL team. This time, it was brutally hard.
"This year was probably the most competitive period I've ever had in football," Jones said Tuesday in the Jaguars' first practice following the roster getting trimmed from 90 players to 55 — and from 13 wide receivers to seven. "We have so many athletes, not just in the receiver room but everywhere on the field."
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Four of the Jags' receivers were dead-solid locks: Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew. Sixth-round draft pick Parker Washington, Jones and undrafted free agent rookie Elijah Cooks squeezed out a batch of other contenders — Jacob Harris , Seth Williams and Kevin Austin Jr., spring to mind — who littered the fields at the Miller Electric Center and in three preseason games with big plays.
Jones was rewarded for his experience (he was an undrafted free agent in 2021, toiled in the practice squad the entire season, then played in all 17 games last year) and his willingness to play on special teams
"Special teams are what helped me make this team," he said.
Jones also made two huge offensive plays and one on special teams in preseason games.
His 48-yard reception against Detroit got the Jags out of a deep hole near their own end zone and was the big play on a drive leading to a Brandon McManus field goal, and last week against Miami at EverBank Stadium he beat rookie cornerback and second-round draft pick Cam Smith like a rented mule and caught a deep ball from C.J. Beathard on the way to a 74-yard TD.
Jones' only two receptions of the preseason were the two longest plays from scrimmage for the Jaguars in the preseason.
And just for good measure, he made a tackle on a punt return against Dallas that forced a fumble, recovered by Gregory Junior . The Jags got the ball on the Dallas 42 and Trevor Lawrence quickly put a touchdown on the boards.
Jones matched the requirements laid down by coach Doug Pederson when he spoke before the Miami game about what players in Jones' position need to do in order to make the team.
"It really boils down to special teams ... that's the third element to our team," he said. "My message has always been, you may not be the starter on offense or defense, but you're a starter on special teams. You need to embrace that role, especially if you're a new rookie whether you're drafted or undrafted. A second-year player, whatever it might be, that's kind of your niche to make our roster."
In addition to special teams, Jone said being in Pederson's system a second year helped. Of the six wide receivers who were cut, only Kendric Pryor was on the Jaguars roster last year.
"Being there last year, getting that experience on the field played a role," Jones said.
Jones' pro experience so far has been an adjustment. Like most NFL players, he was a star on the high school and college level. He caught 209 passes for 3,524 yards for his career at Biloxi (Miss.) High School, including a 100-reception season for 1,364 yards as a sophomore.
He went to Southern Miss and finished as the fourth-leading career receiver for the Golden Eagles, catching 150 passes for 2,011 yards. His top season was as a junior in 2019 when he caught 73 passes for 902 yards, making All-Conference USA.
But at the age of 25, there's plenty of time. Jones has already shown patience is another one of his virtues.
"You can never take it for granted," he said. "Every single day you come out, you've just got to work because somebody's always trying to take your spot."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars wide receiver Tim Jones keeps doing what it takes to make the team
