The Extra Point: After 10 Years With Matt Ryan, Julio Jones is Figuring Out Ryan Tannehill

The former Alabama wide receiver has to learn to work with just his second NFL starting quarterback

One of the biggest reasons why Julio Jones already working with his new teammates during voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) last week was so important is that for the first 10 years of his career in Atlanta he only had one starting quarterback throwing him the ball, Matt Ryan. 

Now he's with the Tennessee Titans, and Ryan Tannehill. 

Per AllTitans, the quarterback is acting quickly to establish a working relationship with the the All-Pro wide receiver. 

“Obviously he’s a great player. And I think what’s for now is just developing that understanding amongst each other as a whole offense,” wide receivers coach Pat O’Hara said. “We all have a lot of work to do before we all get on the same page.”

Tannehill already has the jump on getting to know Jones, who was recently acquired in trade with Falcons. The two made it a point to go to dinner together after Jones arrived in Nashville, and they didn't wait to begin building their on-field chemistry.

O’Hara wasn’t shocked by the quarterback’s actions. Tannehill typically takes it upon himself to welcome new teammates to town, regardless of position. 

“It doesn’t surprise me, knowing Ryan. Ryan’s a leader of our football team. It doesn’t surprise me that they have started to develop a relationship,” O’Hara said. “As we get to know Julio more and more, he’s a true pro. He’s happy to be here, so it’s a good situation so far.”

Tannehill expressed similar excitement, praising Jones’ ability to get open downfield and lauding the potential the offense possesses when he and Jones get in sync.

“It’ll be a learning process for the both of us,” Tannehill said. “He’s got a lot of talent, and he’s made a bunch of big plays over the course of his career. But we have to get on the same page and make sure we are on point with everything that we’re going to ask him to do here in Tennessee.”

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Jones is larger than the average NFL wide receiver. Receivers with larger catching windows give Tannehill more room to thread the needle downfield. 

“There’s a lot of benefits to having a big target,” Tannehill said. “You have range and a bigger catching radius. They can use their bodies to create separation, and if it’s tight coverage, you have space to throw it away from a defender, and they’ll still be able to make a play on it.”

Regardless, it's going to take some time for the two to get to know one another as Jones gets acclimated, and the offense ramps up. 

That’s OK. Both Tannehill and O’Hara know it won’t happen overnight.

“It’s going to take hundreds of those little small communications,” Tannehill said. “It’s got to be constant communication, fine-tuning things, and making sure we are seeing things the same way.”

Going up... ✈️ @juliojones_11 pic.twitter.com/9urYUNV2WQ

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) June 15, 2021

The Extra Point is a regular weekday feature on BamaCentral+, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation parters. Other recent segments include:

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