New England Patriots Release Receiver Donald Jones

Jun 12, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Donald Jones fails to make a reception during minicamp at the practice fields of Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapaport, and the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, the Patriots have released receiver Donald Jones. This came as a big surprise to me, and probably most Patriots fans because of the lack of depth, and experience that they have at the receiver position. As of right now, their top two receivers would most likely be Danny Amendola, and either Aaron Dobson or Michael Jenkins. None of these players have very much experience with the Patriots, and losing Jones will make it a necessity for them to speed up their learning, and hopefully be able to help the Pats offense in the coming weeks.

Ian Rapaport has also reported that the Patriots will probably get Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce more reps now that Jones is gone. Both of these football players have a lot of talent and potential as receivers, and I like the idea of the Patriots getting them more reps to speed up their development. If Dobs0n can learn the Pats playbook, and develop some sort of rhythm with quarterback Tom Brady, I think he can make a lot of plays for New England in 2013. He has all the physical tools that big-time receiver needs in this game, and with the right coaching I think he can show off his skills in his rookie season. Boyce is also a very talented guy, and while I don’t think he can reach Dobson’s level, I do think he can help this Patriots passing attack, and these extra reps that he will receive will benefit both him and the Patriots greatly.

This move came as a big surprise, but I think it will end up being a good move for the Pats. Jones is a young receiver that has some potential, but I think it is more important for the Patriots to incorporate their two rookies, who have a lot more potential as football players in my mind into the offense, rather than move Jones into a starting role. This will give Brady more youth and “explosion” in his arsenal, and after the last couple years of failure I think he will welcome the change.