Mike Smith: Julio Jones ahead of schedule for Falcons

Sep 15, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) makes a catch for a touchdown with coverage by St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) in the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports /

The Atlanta Falcons were expecting a big 2013 season, but instead they floundered amongst the teams at the bottom of the league. It didn’t help that they lost wide receiver Julio Jones to a season-ending foot injury. Fortunately it was early in the season allowing him a lot of time to recover and Falcons head coach Mike Smith said he was ahead of schedule in his return from surgery at the NFL Annual Meeting on Wednesday.

“We anticipate he’ll be ready to go 100 percent,” Smith said, per the Falcons’ official website. “We’ll get him going at some point in time here in the offseason. We’ll be very careful. Our No. 1 goal is to have him ready to participate in training camp.”

Jones was headed towards a monstrous season before being injured and is one of the league’s best receivers, this is the final year of his contract.

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