Earlier this month, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones said that he was OK not playing in the preseason and suggested that he might see action in the third week if the team brass decided that was the best course of action.
Things may have speeded up in Atlanta, though. Vaughn McClure and Stephania Bell of ESPN.com report that Jones, who missed much of last season with a broken foot, expects to be on the field against the Texans on Saturday night. Coach Mike Smith wasn’t as forthcoming when asked about Jones’ status.
“We’re going to go through the plan that we had, and I really don’t want to talk about whether Julio’s going to play or not,’' Smith said. “We have a plan, and we all know what it is.”
Jones has been practicing every other day this summer and says he feels 100 percent, which is a good development for the Falcons offense whether or not Jones sees the field this weekend. If he does, McClure and Bell report that he’s likely to play a series before returning to the sideline.