The injury that ended Jonathan Jones’ 2017 season won’t affect his 2018 campaign.
The New England Patriots cornerback is expected to be ready to participate in the team’s offseason workout program after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in New England’s divisional-round playoff win over the Tennessee Titans, a league source told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. Workouts begin April 16.
Jones’ injury landed him on injured reserve, preventing him from playing in the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl LII.
After signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2016, the Auburn product excelled on special teams as a rookie, then saw his role on defense grow in his second NFL season. He spent part of 2017 as the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback while Eric Rowe recovered from a groin injury and displayed a knack for getting his hands on the ball, ranking fourth on the team with eight pass breakups despite playing just 41.4 percent of defensive snaps.
With cornerback Malcolm Butler a near lock to leave in free agency, Jones is expected to see a “significant uptick” in playing time next season, according to Volin’s sources.
Cornerback is one of the Patriots’ biggest areas of need this offseason, but having a healthy Jones back in the fold will help matters.
