Of all of the undrafted free agents the Atlanta Falcons have signed this offseason, Cash Jones has to be near the top of the list of the most captivating. He played running back in college, but the Falcons are in the process of changing the pass-catching back's position to be a full-time slot wide receiver.
When the position change was first announced, there was so much hype around Jones that you'd think he legally changed his name to Bijan Robinson. Kevin Stefanski has sung his praises on multiple occasions, and it quickly became clear that Atlanta has some big plans in store for the young WR.
However, his hype mostly came during rookie minicamp and his name didn't come up much once OTAs kicked off. So once training camp starts later this month, the Falcons are banking on Cash Jones again looking like the secret weapon he showed flashes of becoming earlier this offseason.
Falcons WR Cash Jones has a lot on the line once training camp begins
The "joker" role is something that's becoming more prevalent for NFL offenses. Most Falcons fans will never forget the fever dream that was 2021 Cordarelle Patterson, who played the same role as an RB/WR, and while Jones isn't as dynamic, he very well can make waves in a wide-open receiver battle.
The Dirty Birds have four wideouts who are roster locks, opening the door for a training camp battle to determine the final two spots in the receiver room. And while there's a lot of bodies who set to be evaluated by this new staff, Jones' different skillset gives him a unique opportunity to do damage.
The Falcons are looking for for players to step up in the WR competition, and the 24-year-old is the most intriguing of the UDFA receivers the team has. He had more receptions (57) at Georgia than rush attempts (52), and his 573 receiving yards were more than twice as many as his rushing total of 253.
His main competition is Dylan Drummond, Chris Blair, Vinny Anthony, and Keelan Marion, which feels like feasible competition for Jones to beat out. But as someone who is much newer to playing the receiver position, he should require more fine-tuning compared to the more polished WR alternatives.
This is not to say the talent and upside aren't there, we just need to see more of his potential as the summer unfolds. Training camp and the preseason will be Cash Jones' final chance to prove he can handle the demands of playing multiple roles in the NFL, and it'll determine if he makes the roster.
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