Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Tight end Doug Jolley, who never fulfilled expectations after being acquired by the New York Jets from Oakland, was traded by the Jets to Tampa Bay on Thursday.
The Jets also acquired tight end Sean Ryan from Dallas and claimed wide receiver Sloan Thomas on waivers from Tennessee.
Both the Jolley and Ryan deals involved undisclosed draft choices.
Ryan, a fifth-round pick by Dallas in 2004, has played in nine NFL games and started two. Thomas, who played at Texas, was a seventh-round pick of Houston in 2004 and played in one game for Tennessee last year, making two special teams tackles.
The Jets got Jolley in April 2005, giving up their first-round pick in that draft and obtaining the Raiders' second-rounder in the deal. But he had just 29 catches last season for 324 yards and one touchdown, a 60-yarder.
He angered new coach Eric Mangini last week with an unnecessary roughness penalty in the exhibition game against the Giants.
Jolley mostly played behind Chris Baker, started only seven games in 16 appearances, and did not develop into the dependable mid-range target Jets officials felt he would be.
A second-round pick of the Raiders in the 2002 draft, Jolley will join a crowded Tampa Bay tight end depth chart that includes emerging second-year veteran Alex Smith and former Jets starter Anthony Becht, who signed with the Bucs as an unrestricted free agent in 2005. The upside for Jolley is that Bucs head coach Jon Gruden loves multiple-tight end sets and seem to find roles for all the players at the position.
Despite moving to a third different team in three seasons, a change of scenery might help revive Jolley's career. In his rookie season with Oakland, he had 32 catches for 409 yards, but has never topped those numbers. In 63 career regular-season appearances, including 32 starts, Jolley has 119 catches for 1,296 yards and six touchdowns
