When locking up a player seems too hard a team usually tries to prepare for the worst. The Pittsburgh Steelers took that first step last week. Could they take another by calling the Green Bay Packers about receiver James Jones?
Antonio Brown deal puts Mike Wallace in doubt for Steelers
Pittsburgh has loads of questions on offense. It started when former head coach Todd Haley became the offensive coördinator and snowballed to a crisis at running back and two rookies could start on the offensive line. Everything though has fallen to second place around the fluid issues with the Steelers wide receivers. Pro Bowl starter Mike Wallace has a public holdout going into training camp. After several tries to give him a new deal Pittsburgh chose to extend his right hand man Antonio Brown for another five years. This move has some thinking the team has decided to wait until next offseason to try again and let him reach free agency if they can't work out a deal. Like it or not though losing Wallace is a huge blow for the Steelers. His speed and skill are almost impossible to duplicate, let alone replace. If they stay on that course then top priority should focus on finding help for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While many options exist at least one team might have an immediate answer.
Randall Cobb improvement puts Jones in tough spot for playing time
No team is more loaded at wide receiver than the Green Bay Packers. Everyone knows about Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver. What some may forget is the talent may go all the way to the sixth slot. There is a roster battle Packers fans are likely to watch closely with second-year talent Randall Cobb pushing veteran James Jones for playing time. Even in spot duty last season Jones managed to score seven touchdowns and averaged 17 yards per catch. Still Cobb is younger, cheaper and can return kicks. His strong training camp so far puts pressure on coaches to keep players like Jones happy. Packers front office reps have said they want him on the roster but a breakout year from Cobb could make that impossible. While Jones signed a three-year deal to stay in Green Bay that may not stop the team from trading him. A team like Pittsburgh is a place where Jones could end up. While not Mike Wallace he is a very able replacement and could become a major player in the new offense under Haley.
James Jones wants to stay with the Green Bay Packers but the rise of Randall Cobb makes that hard to see. With the Pittsburgh Steelers at risk of losing Wallace, their eyes could turn his way sooner than later.
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