FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones believes 2,000 receiving yards in a season is an attainable goal, for somebody.

Jones, whose 1,871 receiving yards last season topped the NFL and were the second-most in NFL history behind Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 in 2012, refused to make 2,000 yards his personal goal going into 2016. He did, however, talk about the mark in general terms, acknowledging that someone could reach it, without specifying himself.

"I think it’s possible," Jones said. "Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and if you put the work in."

When pressed on whether 2,000 yards is something he’s aiming to accomplish, Jones refused to take the bait, in his typical unselfish fashion.

"I just do what’s needed for the team," Jones said. "That’s it."

Julio Jones, who had 1,871 yards receiving last season, says the 2,000-yard mark is attainable. Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports

From the Falcons’ standpoint, lower numbers for Jones might be a good thing. He had a career-high 136 receptions last season and was targeted a league-high 203 times. Going into this season, the hope is Jones will have more help from the receivers around him, such as newcomer Mohamed Sanu, second-year player Justin Hardy and tight ends Jacob Tamme and Austin Hooper.

However, you could also look at it as a chance for Jones to get more touches because defenses won't get to cheat toward him as much if there are other receivers around him capable of making plays.

Heck, more one-on-one opportunities for Jones might lead to a 3,000-yard season.

In all seriousness, it will be interesting to see what Jones does for an encore. It's possible for him to have less targets but more yards if the Falcons elect to go down the field more often than a year ago. Although those are lower-percentage plays, it's a risk worth taking with a receiver as dynamic as Jones. Not to mention quarterback Matt Ryan should have more time to launch such throws with three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack now on the roster. But the Falcons do face some tough defenses that can get after the quarterback in Super Bowl champion Denver, runner-up Carolina, Seattle, Arizona, Green Bay, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

Last year, Jones ranked 47th in the league in air yards per target with a 10.33-yard average, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The league leader was Buffalo's Sammy Watkins with 16.8, followed by Carolina's Ted Ginn (16.5), St. Louis' Kenny Britt (16.1), Arizona's Michael Floyd (15.4), and Jacksonville's Allen Robinson (15.3). Of those five, only Robinson was close to Jones in terms of receptions and yards with 80 catches for 1,400 yards.

Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown was right behind Jones last season with 1,834 yards on the same number of receptions.