Star receiver Julio Jones has to go on the Injured Reserve List and will miss several weeks for the Tennessee Titans. For the franchise, the wait continues for the backup they had hoped for.

Munich – This is certainly not how Tennessee Titans officials envisioned it.

Newcomer Julio Jones was on the field for the Titans in only six of nine possible games, in several of which he had to go down early. The star receiver was repeatedly set back by minor injuries, so that he only managed 336 receiving yards.

The 32-year-old has yet to score a touchdown for his new team. So it will be some time before Tennessee’s investment in him pays off.

Julio Jones missing several weeks

After re-injuring his thigh in Week 9, the Titans placed him on the Injured Reserve list on Saturday. That means he will miss at least the next three games against the New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and New England Patriots.

The longtime Atlanta Falcons star has yet to live up to the high expectations placed on him after being traded to Tennessee. After all, the Titans gave up a second- and fourth-round pick to Atlanta for Jones and pay the receiver an average of nearly $15 million in salary per season.

Despite his advanced age, Jones came to the Titans as one of the league’s best wide receivers and was expected to form an unbeatable duo with fellow receiver A.J. Brown. However, injury problems from last season caught up with the seven-time Pro Bowler.

WR-Coach: “You can’t blame him “

There’s no question that Jones can still compete from an athletic standpoint. What’s more, the voices are piling up that his body doesn’t have much grain left in the tank after more than ten years in the NFL.

“It all depends on his health,” wide receivers coach Rob Moore also told The Tennessean. “You can’t blame him if he’s not able to be on the field,” the Titans coach said.

So Jones is frustrated by the situation himself and will do everything he can to come back. In the playoffs, the Titans will then have to rely on all the support they can get anyway.

Titans struggle to make deep playoff run

The Titans currently sit atop the AFC with a record of 7 wins and two losses. If they survive the tasks against the Saints and the Patriots, a feasible programme awaits the team of head coach Mike Vrabel after the bye week – the playoffs are therefore an absolutely realistic goal at the moment.

There, quarterback Ryan Tannehill could certainly use another receiver of Julio Jones’ calibre. After the injury to superstar running back Derrick Henry, there is much more pressure on the experienced signal-caller anyway.

Because one thing is clear: If the Titans want to play more than just an underdog role, they need a Jones in absolute top form. If the star receiver manages to return to the field, the long wait in Tennessee could have paid off after all.