Titans’ Julio Jones already showing leadership, unselfish nature
4 min readWhen the Tennessee Titans added star wide receiver Julio Jones via a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, the team did more than just add elite talent at the position.
It has been less than a week since Jones was traded to Nashville, and in that time we’ve already seen the other great qualities he brings to the table, like unselfishness and leadership.
General manager Jon Robinson previously stated that Jones was more concerned with winning than targets, and that’s something Jones reiterated after making his practice debut on Thursday, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
“At the end of the day, you want to create a winning culture. However you need to do it, you have to get the job done,” Jones said. “My whole career, I’ve never been a stat guy. I’m a team guy. Whatever they need from me I’m going to do, and I will enjoy playing my role at a high level.”
That’s important because Jones will likely see less targets than he is used to in Tennessee’s run-first offense that is led by Derrick Henry, and with fellow wideout A.J. Brown also commanding plenty of looks.
And speaking of Brown and Henry: Jones’ reasoning behind going with No. 2 had to do with recognizing the impressive talent he has around him, per Ben Arthur of the Tennessean.
“He tried to give me the 11, and I said, ‘I don’t want it, that’s your number,’ Jones said. “I was like ‘I’m just going to go with the No. 2.’ . . . One plus one is two. Then two times 11 is 22, so it’s kind of like you’re going to have to deal with us. All four of us, actually. But you’re going to have to deal with the whole offense. It takes all 11 guys. But this No. 2 thing is to just keep the guys going and have fun with it. At the end of the day, it’s our job, but we want to have fun with it.”
While there will be less targets to go around for all of Tennessee’s pass-catchers now that Jones is in the mix, the veteran wideout’s knowledge and experience, which he is always willing to share with younger players, will be invaluable — and we’ve already seen that in action in Nashville.
Media and players who attended the Alabama product’s practice debut saw him pulling younger receivers aside to offer them tips. Here’s what Josh Reynolds said about that, per Kayla Anderson of WKRN.
“First day out there and he was already coaching guys up, you can tell his mindset is, win games and whoever is out there, make plays,” Reynolds said.
Jones also went into detail about Brown, who he lauded as a No. 1 receiver. Jones is looking forward to helping in the Ole Miss product’s development, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“I am very excited, to be a 1-2 punch or 1-1 punch, or however you want to look at it – he is definitely a No.1 receiver,” Jones said. “He’s definitely a dog, and he has that competitive nature in him. I want to show him the little things I know from experience, being in the league. But he has it all. … To be able to play with him, it is going to be great.”
Perhaps most importantly, it’s crystal clear that Jones wants to be in Nashville and this isn’t just some situation he was forced into because he wanted out of Atlanta so badly.
Jones, who isn’t known for practicing all that much over the years, let alone participating in a voluntary session of OTAs like he did this week, was eager to get to work with his new teammates and said “I love it” when asked about his time with the Titans thus far.
“Being here with the Titans, I love it,” Jones said. “I am very excited to be a part of this organization. Just the team camaraderie, the whole atmosphere and everything here, it just feels like when I was in college at the University of Alabama. It is amazing here.”
Whether it’s his talent, leadership, unselfishness, his excitement to be with the Titans, the chip he has on his shoulder, or all of the above, it’s easy to see why fans and media are already in full-bloom love with Jones.
