T.J. Jones hopes to reinforce Giants receivers corps

The last few weeks have been sort of a blur for wide receiver T.J. Jones, who was added to the Giants training camp roster on July 27 after the team lost receivers Corey Coleman, Brittan Golden, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton to injuries.

While the injury situation now perking up—Slayton is expected to see game reps Friday night against the Bears and Shepard should be fine for the start of the regular season, an extra roster spot has opened up thanks to the league’s denial of Golden Tate’s four-game suspension.

"We signed him because we liked him, regardless of moving forward," head coach Pat Shurmur said.

"We felt like he was a guy that could come in, compete, and make our team, regardless of who we had on the roster."

Jones, who was a 2014 sixth-round draft pick by the Lions, racked up 814 yards on 64 receptions and four touchdowns in four seasons with Detroit.

The 6-foot, 190-pound receiver also has experience as a kickoff and punt returner.

“I was always told that the more you can do the better,” Jones said of the many hats he wears.

“Whether it's returning, blocking on special teams, running down on kickoff – I’ve played on every special team before not just as a returner but as a blocker also.

"I came in with an open mind ready to accept any role that they wanted me to try or put me out there as a returner or anything else on the special teams.”

Jones realizes he might be behind the eight ball having missed the Giants off-season program and getting a late start with the team in camp, but he’s viewing the opportunity he’s been given by the team as a legitimate chance to make the roster as a contributor, and not just a temporary “camp fodder” type of role.

“I think that the opportunity when it's presented you make it what you want it to. If you come in leaving here, just a camp body then that’s what you put out on film,” he said.

“You won’t believe you have a shot so you won’t put your best foot forward, but if you come in with the mindset that I’m here to earn a spot, to earn a job whether it’s here to put out good film or if I were let go for someone else to see good film. I came to make the best of the opportunity and to definitely not let the timing of it affect the way I approached it.”

In his first preseason action for the Giants last week against the Jets, Jones had a productive evening. He is currently the team receiving leader in both receptions (6) and receiving yards (72) and is tied with Bennie Fowler and Russell Shepard with one touchdown apiece.

As a kickoff returner, Jones had one return for 24 yards. He also handled all the punt return duties last week, returning three for second yards with two fair catches.

“It was fun to get back out there, you know definitely fun to kind of play in a new uniform, play under the plays that we have been studying, get real game action against people who we aren’t seeing every day at meetings and practice,” he said of his Giants debut.

“I definitely have things to clean up, little things and the more I learn the playbook, the more I learn the details. You know it’s not just about, what do you have? It’s what do you have? How do you do it? What may change the way that you run this route or attack this defender? So now it’s just getting into the depths of the playbook.”

That Jones might be keeping the seat warm for Tate during his suspension is a bit ironic. The two were teammates with the Lions, and Jones credited Tate for helping him grow as an NFL receiver.

“We knew each other enough to say hello but I wouldn’t say we were friends,” Jones said, adding that the two have since become closer.

“I’ve been to his house, I’ve hung out with his family, vice versa and having him here to kind of help my transition definitely helped me, eased me into the process which if you would have lost sight of what the bigger goal was.”

Tate, in fact, has been helping Jones get caught up now that he’s here with the Giants. But don’t’ expect Jones to feel any hesitation about possibly filling his mentor’s roster spot,

“I’m not looking at it that way because I’m not the decision-maker,” he said. “I’m keeping my head down and focusing on what I can control and making sure that I do everything right.”

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