Buffalo Bills: Waiting on Zay Jones to step up in 2018

The Buffalo Bills could use a big season from Zay Jones as he looks to bounce back from a tough rookie season and some personal issues.

The Buffalo Bills front office and coaching staff seem to have faith in the current group of wide receivers on the team. Not all fans feel the same.

A key player in the group is Zay Jones, who will be entering his second season looking for a breakout year.

Jones finished the 2017 season with 27 receptions for 316 yards and just two touchdowns. Another year like this and he may be relegated to more of a reserve role.

For now, Jones remains a starter along with Kelvin Benjamin. He also showed up in a recent NFL.com article, written by Gregg Rosenthal, as a player on a rookie contract that needs to step up for his team in 2018.

Here is some of what Rosenthal had to say:

"This is usually the part of a fledging player’s career where he gets buried on the depth chart and needs to earn his spot back on the field after getting 791 snaps on rookie scholarship. But the Bills need Jones to play because their wideout depth chart might be the NFL’s worst."

As Rosenthal states, the Bills need Jones to step up for the sake of the team just as much as the young receiver needs to step up for his own job security. By passing on receivers early in the draft, the Bills made it clear that Jones and Benjamin are the focal points at receiver this season.

I understand this strategy in the sense that Jones was a rookie last season and should realistically improve in his second season. No need to draft him then give up on him right away. However, it never hurts to have a surplus of talent at any given position.

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There is still some time for moves to be made and the Bills may look to snag some talent after cuts are made during training camp. But for now, it is up to Jones to rebound in 2018 and be a top option for whoever lines up at quarterback for the Bills.