FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots could be without their top slot cornerback for Saturday’s showdown with the Buffalo Bills.
Jonathan Jones missed practice for the second consecutive day Wednesday as he recovers from a groin injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s 34-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jones, who also plays safety for the Patriots, has struggled of late, allowing touchdown passes in each of the team’s last three games and four of its last five.
The 26-year-old was one of the team’s top cover men early in the year, however, and would be New England’s first choice to cover Bills slot receiver Cole Beasley, against whom he allowed just two catches on five targets for 26 yards during the teams’ first meeting in Week 4. Jones has not missed a game since the start of the 2018 season.
Beasley is having one of his most productive seasons to date, catching 60 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns through 14 games. He caught seven passes for a game-high 75 yards against the Patriots in September, with much of that production coming against defenders other than Jones.
The Patriots have operated without cornerback Jason McCourty in recent weeks, as the veteran has missed three games and been severely limited in another as he recovers from his own groin issue. McCourty has yet to miss a practice despite his injury, so it’s difficult to project whether he’ll be available against Buffalo.
If Jones and McCourty both can’t go, second-round draft pick Joejuan Williams likely would take on a larger role behind starters Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson. Williams has yet to see meaningful playing time on defense as an NFL rookie, logging just 36 total defensive snaps and sitting out seven games as a healthy scratch.
