Raiders trade for Bills’ Zay Jones to bolster receiving corps
On the heels of dressing just four wide receivers in a win over the Bears, the Raiders acquired wide receiver Zay Jones from the Bills Monday night.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who said the Raiders would send a fifth-round draft pick in 2021 to Buffalo in return.
Jones is a third-year player out of East Carolina who flashed at times in his first two seasons with the Bills, but he appears to have fallen out of favor in Buffalo. In Sunday’s win over the Titans, Jones did not record a catch or even a target from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, according to pro-football-reference.com.
Jones has just seven catches this season, starting two games. He started 15 games and made 56 receptions last year.
The Raiders brought Marcell Ateman off their practice squad for Sunday’s win in London against the Bears because receivers Dwyane Harris, Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson were saddled with injuries.
Jones will have two weeks to assimilate to the Raiders’ offense as he joins the team on a bye week before an Oct. 20 date at Green Bay.
The trade may signal that the Raiders believe they’ve got a real shot at the postseason in 2019, with their willingness to spend future assets in a year they were not expected by many to compete.
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