The Buffalo Bills are one of the few teams in the NFL without a “number one guy.” Being the number one receiver on any NFL team is a large responsibility. It isn’t something one player can just stumble upon. Few teams have true elite pass catchers like the Atlanta Falcons with Julio Jones and the Oakland Raiders with Antonio Brown. Some teams, like the Minnesota Vikings, have two in both Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

Zay Jones may want to be the number one but he just isn’t. Although that isn’t something Jones will want to hear it’s the truth. As he prepares for his third season out of East Carolina, he has to prove he can be the number one guy in Buffalo.

Zay Jones’ first two years in the league

Jones was drafted 37th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Expectations were high after he caught 158 passes his senior season and 399 total (which happens to be an FBS record) throughout his four seasons as a Pirate. He did it while playing in all 50 career games as an NCAA athlete, starting 41 of them.

Hands? Check. Durability? Check.

Those are two things that transfer to the pro game. However the NFL is a beast in and of itself. If you’re a Bills fan, you’ve watched Jones struggle to catch the ball. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished with a catch grade of only 38.8. As a sophomore, his hands improved, finishing the season with a catch grade of 75.9. While not great, progression was made. But at the end of the 2018 season, he was graded as the 87th receiver in the league.

That’s far from where Jones wants to be. More importantly, far from a number one receiver and where general manager Brandon Beane wants him to be.

Issues in 2018

Drops tell a part of the story for Jones and his short tenure in Buffalo. Throughout his rookie season, he played with a torn labrum. What Jones was known for, both his hands and durability, were in question. And that spilled over into an offseason incident that put him in the hospital for a non-football related injury. One that almost ended his life.

From a football standpoint, the mental aspect of what happened in Los Angeles that night may have had something to do with the issues he ran into as a rookie. Issues he never had to overcome as he transformed from a three-star recruit from Austin, Texas into a second-round pick.

Can Jones be the guy?

As stated previously, year two was much more successful. Jones proved he was healthy, both mentally and physically, playing in all 16 games and more than doubling his receptions (27 to 56), yards (316 to 652) and touchdowns (two to seven).

Progression is vital for any young player, and Jones proved he’s progressing. However, that didn’t stop Beane from picking up multiple veterans for the position this offseason.

Cole Beasley, John Brown, and Andre Roberts all signed multi-year deals in March. Their deals help open up the offense for quarterback Josh Allen and add a veteran presence to a skill group that desperately lacked one in 2018.

2019 is the year Jones can prove he can be Buffalos number one. Bills fans want their Andre Reed. They want their Eric Moulds and Lee Evans. 2019 is the year they’ll know if they have their Zay Jones.