Zay Jones didn’t really want to talk about his offseason.
Considering that included a naked, bloody, fight with his brother which included a broken window and an arrest on vandalism charges (which were eventually dropped), it’s reasonable to not want to circle back.
But after being activated from the non-football injury list, the Bills wide receiver said he hoped to be able to move forward.
“I think I would be doing myself a very big disservice if I went back to that,” Jones said in his first interview of the offseason, via Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. “That moment was very traumatic for me and my family. To rehash that now, at this point in time, wouldn’t be doing me any good. I know you have a job to do, so I’m just trying to look forward. That’s where I’m at right now. A lot of positive things are happening in my life that I’m very thankful for. . . .
“I’m grateful. I could have lost my life, so I’m grateful to just be on this field, to be with my teammates, to see my family. I don’t think there’s any other word that describes it.”
In addition to all the embarrassing stuff, there’s also the matter of a disappointing rookie season for the former second-round pick. He caught just 27 passes, and then had to rehab from offseason knee surgery.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us, and Zay knows that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “It’s not something that can’t be achieved, we’ve got to just continue to work at it and get him up to speed as quickly as we can. At the same time, at the right pace.”
The Bills have plenty of opportunity for a receiver to stand out. Other than Kelvin Benjamin, there’s not really a known commodity on the roster, and their trade for Corey Coleman underscores the fact they’re still looking for answers there.
