The New England Patriots value versatility and Marcus Jones has been the definition of that over the last couple of games.
The rookie has not only seen increased time at his natural cornerback position, but he continues to be a difference-maker returning kickoffs and punts while also getting sprinkled in on offense to give a much-maligned New England attack an added dynamic it desperately needs.
Jones’ skillfulness in a variety of areas has certainly caught the eye of second-year quarterback Mac Jones, who has been impressed by his teammate’s ability to contribute to the offense while handling other responsibilities.
“He’s a smart football player,” Mac Jones told reporters following practice Thursday at the University of Arizona, per team-provided transcript. “Does a great job on defense, obviously we see that and clearly on special teams. He’s an all-around Swiss-army knife type player and working with him, he’s done a good job. He lines up in the right spot, knows what to do and he cares. So that’s the biggest three things. Everything else will take care of itself, the plays and all that. He’s doing a really good job.”
Marcus Jones had a completely full plate of duties in Monday’s 27-13 road win over the Arizona Cardinals. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound corner played a season-high 89% of the team’s defensive snaps with Jack Jones going out with an injury and Jalen Mills not suiting up. Marcus Jones held his own too — even against the likes of talented wideout DeAndre Hopkins — by recording his first career interception.
Jones also saw an increase in playing time on the other side of the ball with offensive play caller Matt Patricia likely seeing Jones’ breakaway speed as something he wanted to utilize in his screen-heavy game plan. Jones played eight offensive snaps and recorded one reception for 12 yards.
It was just the second time this season the Patriots have trotted Jones out on offense, first doing so in Week 13 in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. In that contest, he showed why New England has started deploying him on offense by taking a short pass 48 yards for a touchdown.
And his threat as a play-maker, really in all phases, is what continues to keep him on the field no matter what Patriots’ unit is out there.
“I think he’s super dynamic,” Mac Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of guys like that, which is good. Fast, quick-twitch, guys like that. So we have that in our skill positions and it’s all about just making sure we finish those plays and get those explosives.”
