Was it LA Rams QB Stafford or was it Lions WR Jones?

If the LA Rams were to snag another reliable deep-threat playmaker on the perimeter to line up with WR Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, their passing offense could be one of the best dynamic combinations that any NFL secondary will face in 2021.  Even the best would be hard-pressed to defend the Rams aerial assault.

And it just so happens that one of the more overlooked receivers in the league is available in free agent Detroit WR Marvin Jones. And, oh yeah, he has already stated that he wants to rejoin his quarterback, Matthew Stafford. So there’s that.

His natural downfield speed would add a truly potent deep-strike dimension to the Rams offense. He’s sneaky quick in and out of his breaks and still has the ability to create that all-important separation from defenders.

Best of all, Jones comes out of the box with built-in pre-existing chemistry with the Rams’ new QB Matthew Stafford, as the pair played together at the Detroit Lions. They won’t need very much OTA-time or pre-season reps together to re-ignite the same chemistry in Los Angeles as they did in the Motor City.

In 16 games last season, Jones totaled 76 receptions for 978 yards (just short of a 1,000-yard season!) and nine touchdowns. His best season was in 2017 when he finished with a career-high 1,101 receiving yards. (a difference of just 123 yards). He’s consistent, steady and at 31 years of age still has the ability to run past people.

He’s a clutch touchdown snagger – racking up nine TD scores in three of the last four seasons. And when the Lions’ number one receiver Kenny Golladay got injured last year, it was Jones who stepped up his play and became Stafford’s first option read go-to man. Touchdowns? Yes, those are the scores that Rams’ head coach Sean McVay is looking for from the offense this year.

But all those deep strikes and surgically-placed passes he snared – how much was due to Jones’ talents and how much was due to QB Stafford’s skill set? Obviously, credit goes to both players, but there is no denying the right quarterback can burnish a receiver’s stats, just as a quality receiver can do the same for a signal-caller.

When Megatron (WR Calvin Johnson) played in Detroit and racked up all those 1,000 yard-seasons and highlight-reel TDs, it’s no coincidence that it was the same QB dispensing those aerial bombs in Stafford.

When Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady got paired up with speedy and sure-handed wide receivers the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it delivered Super-Bowl-worthy results.

And while Jones may not be the most expensive FA on the WR market, he probably could be signed for about $10 million or so. If the Rams are truly all-in for this upcoming season, here’s hoping they find a way to make this tandem pairing a reality (again).