When Jonathan Jones first met with the New England media as a member of the Patriots in May 2016, he unsurprisingly was asked about another undrafted cornerback.
Malcolm Butler was coming off his first season as a starter and was over a year removed from making the game-clinching play in Super Bowl XLIX. Jones acknowledged at the time he signed with the Patriots because of the success within the organization of Butler and other undrafted cornerbacks.
Eighteen months later, Jones has emerged as the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback, in part, due to injuries but also because of his impressive play in limited action.
Could Jones replace Butler as a starter if the Patriots elect not to re-sign the Super Bowl hero when he hits unrestricted free agency in 2018? It’s not out of the question.
Jones is undersized at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, and he’s heavily targeted when he’s on the field. But when opposing quarterbacks throw at Jones, good things tend to happen for the Patriots.
Jones has let up just a 58.7 passer rating this season. He’s allowed just 21 catches on 44 targets for 298 yards with one touchdown. Jones has intercepted a pass, and safety Duron Harmon intercepted a pass on which Jones was targeted. Jones also is second to Butler on the team in pass deflections despite having significantly fewer defensive snaps than the Patriots’ starting defensive backs. Jones also was targeted Sunday night against Raiders receiver Seth Roberts when linebacker Marquis Flowers punched out the ball, which was recovered by safety Patrick Chung.
It’s possible, if the Patriots don’t retain Butler, they’ll fill his spot with Eric Rowe, Johnson Bademosi or a player not currently in the organization. And if that’s the case, then Jones could keep his slot cornerback role. But Jones — albeit in a small sample size — actually has played better outside than he has been in the slot.
He’s let up just three catches on eight targets for 21 yards with one interception plus the Harmon pick for a ridiculous 6.25 passer rating outside. Combat that with 18 catches on 36 targets for 277 yards with one touchdown and an 85.1 passer rating in the slot, which is still quite impressive.
Jones was projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick before the 2016 NFL Draft then surprisingly went undrafted. So it’s not exactly shocking to see him have success in the league.
Jones has drawn significant praise from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for his coverage ability this season.
Belichick described Jones’ technique as “perfect” after the Patriots’ Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints, against whom he had two pass breakups.
