Patriots Starter Has Seen ‘Night And Day’ Strides From These Rookies

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The New England Patriots’ rookie Joneses are likely to begin their respective careers in reserve roles. But one veteran starter has seen encouraging improvement from both.

Before Thursday’s practice at Palm Beach Atlantic University, cornerback Jalen Mills spoke highly of first-year position mates Marcus Jones (third round) and Jack Jones (fourth round) as their prepare to make their NFL debuts this Sunday.

“Oh man, it’s been night and day with those guys,” Mills said. “From the first day of OTAs to the first day of camp to now, just learning the ins and outs of the defenses, knowing where we’re weak and where we’re strong, and just going out there and playing fast — not hesitating and being who they are.”

Both rookies looked like potential starting candidates at points in their first NFL preseason but lacked the play-to-play consistency to lock down those roles. Jack Jones showed excellent aggressiveness and ball-hawking ability as an outside corner, but he too often was beaten for big gains, including a few in New England’s joint practices against the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders. Marcus Jones was a versatile playmaker in the slot but fell behind third-year pro Myles Bryant as the preseason progressed.

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The two 2022 draftees repped with the backups in the Patriots’ preseason finale against the Raiders, and both made positive contributions. Jack Jones, in particular, was excellent, allowing no catches on two targets and using his physicality to break up one pass and force a fumble. Marcus Jones also had a PBU and led the team with seven tackles.

The Patriots are expected to open the season with Mills and Jonathan Jones as their starting perimeter cornerbacks and Bryant as their top option in the slot, with Jack Jones, Marcus Jones and 2021 fifth-round pick Shaun Wade filling out the depth chart. They may lack the elite lockdown corner that had been a staple of their defenses for the previous decade, but with their reserves all showing encouraging signs this summer, they should be considerably deeper at this important position than they were in 2021.

New England opens the regular season this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.