[jwplayer MY7fRFG1-ThvAeFxT]
When the Buffalo Bills selected wide receiver Zay Jones with the No. 37 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the East Carolina star that owns the NCAA’s all-time receptions record (399) was expected to provide an immediate boost to the Bills’ offense.
Instead, the 22-year-old second-round pick finished fourth on the Bills in catches, hauling in just 27 receptions from 74 passes thrown his way. Jones drew quite a bit of criticism from the Bills’ fanbase throughout his rookie campaign in which he gained 319 yards and scored one touchdown.
While many are already writing off Jones as a wasted pick, his struggles appear to be a result of something unrelated to his talent as a wide receiver.
Jones’ father, Robert, a former Pro Bowl linebacker and Super Bowl Champion, appeared on the Bills Wire podcast with managing editor Rob Quinn and revealed that the young pass-catcher played through a torn labrum for the majority of the season and will undergo surgery to repair it Tuesday.
“Here’s a guy that’s going into surgery on Tuesday to get his shoulder repaired and people hardly knew that he played the entire season with, you know, a torn labrum. So how would you like sitting around and you’re going to grab a glass of water and your arm falls out of its socket?”
A shoulder injury like this definitely explains a lot of the struggles he endured in his first season with Buffalo. Six rookie wide receivers recorded more receptions than Jones’ 27.
As his father stated, he knows that Zay Jones will be more than happy to smile in the face of his doubters next season when he’s back playing at full strength.
