The New York Giants added two wide receivers on Saturday in an effort to restock their depleted unit, which has seen Corey Coleman tear his ACL, Golden Tate get suspended and Sterling Shepard break his thumb over the past 24 hours.
The Giants have also seen injuries to their depth pile up as Darius Slayton (hamstring), Brittan Golden (groin) and Alex Wesley (PUP) remain sidelined.
The two newest additions come by way of Amba Etta-Tawo, who is a familiar face, and T.J. Jones, who is new on the scene.
Here are five quick things to know about Jones.
A solid career at Notre Dame
Jones enrolled early at Notre Dame and as a true freshman, worked his way onto the field and never looked back.
In 51 college games, Jones hauled in 181 receptions for 2,429 yards and 19 touchdowns. In total, he gained over 2,504 yards from scrimmage and added two additional touchdowns through the air.
Jones’ best year came as a senior when he recorded 70 receptions for 1,108 yards and nine touchdowns.
In the 2013 BCS National Championship game, Jones recorded six receptions for 90 yards in a 42-14 loss to Alabama.
Sixth-round pick of the Detroit Lions
Following his exceptional senior season at Notre Dame, Jones entered the 2014 NFL Draft and became a sixth-round pick of the Detroit Lions.
Early in his Lions career, Jones bounced around on their practice squad, but was eventually promoted to the team’s 53-man roster.
In 42 career games with Detroit, Jones hauled in 64 receptions for 814 yards and four touchdowns.
Former Golden Tate teammate
When Jones hits the practice field with the Giants on Saturday, he’ll see at least one familiar face — veteran receiver Golden Tate.
In a somewhat ironic twist of fate, Jones joins the Giants, in part, because Tate is facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Beyond that, Tate has served as Jones’ mentor since the moment he was drafted in 2014, having spent every season with the 27-year-old until being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, Godfather
Jones’ father, Andre Jones, was a national champion for Notre Dame in 1988. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2011, three years before T.J. found his way into the NFL.
But that isn’t Jones’ only athletic tie. His Godfather happens to be Heisman Trophy runner-up and and former NFL speedster, Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.
“Those guys have known me my entire life, when I really didn’t need to call them because I had my dad,” Jones said of Ismail and Keith Embray, a former associate director of student welfare at Notre Dame. “Now I can lean on them to ask advice on anything.”
Married to MTV The Challenge star Theresa González
Jones is married to MTV The Challenge star Theresa González, who is considered one of the greatest female competitors in the history of the show.
While I wouldn’t say Theresa was ever an elite competitor, she was in the upper-middle class of the girls on every season she was on. She was one of the top four girls on Free Agents with Laurel, Cara and Nany, and she was at least second-best on Exes II, almost neck-and-neck with Sarah for number one.
It might sound strange to say for someone who was on six seasons, but it felt like we just didn’t get to see enough of Theresa (although I can’t say I miss that thick Wisconsin accent too much). She had a lot of breaks go against her early in her career, but she shined when she got to compete individually and when she was given a good partner in Wes.
The two had their first child, Easton Kaia, in December 2015.
