GLENDALE, Ariz. — The New England Patriots are no strangers to two-way players. They’ve had plenty of them over the years, from Mike Vrabel and Matthew Slater to Julian Edelman and Elandon Roberts.
Marcus Jones, though, is emerging as a different class of all-phase weapon.
Since 1992, only two NFL players have caught a touchdown pass, scored a kick/punt return touchdown and recorded an interception in the same season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. One was Deion Sanders, the uber-versatile Pro Football Hall of Famer. The other was Jones, whose multipositional ability is making him an indispensable asset for the New England Patriots.
One week after scoring a touchdown on his first career offensive snap in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, Jones played 67 snaps at cornerback, 11 on special teams and eight at wide receiver in Monday night’s 27-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. His 86 total snaps were the most by any player on either team and nearly doubled the third-round rookie’s previous career high of 47, set in the Buffalo game.
“Fatigue is real, so yeah, (I’m tired),” Jones said after the game. “But I’m not winded, winded. (It’s about) making sure that my body’s good and recovered and everything. Nobody in this league can play every down on each side, but the coaches definitely know when to put me out there.”
Jones, who weeks ago established himself as one of the NFL’s top kick and punt returners, saw a larger role on defense and offense after injuries sidelined corners Jalen Mills and Jack Jones and wideouts Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker. He intercepted one pass and broke up another, saw man-to-man coverage reps against DeAndre Hopkins, caught one pass for 12 yards, frequently was used as a decoy motion man to unsettle Arizona’s defense and also dished out the hit of the game when he decked Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who’s six inches taller than the 5-foot-8, 185-pound Jones and outweighs him by 60 pounds.
Quarterback Mac Jones lauded the first-year defensive back, saying Jones’ willingness to play both ways shows “great leadership.”
“I think it’s cool to have him help any way he can,” the QB said. “I mean, the kid’s on special teams, he’s hitting people on defense and covering really good receivers, and then coming over (to offense) and running full speed on motions and running routes. Just really great leadership from him. (He’s) not a vocal guy, and he’s a young guy, but to show that he’s going to give it 100% no matter what his role is is pretty cool. I felt like we did that (Monday night), and we’re definitely going to expand on that.
“The guys that want to be out there and play hard, they’re going to be out there. I feel like we have a good group.”
The Patriots also got sorely needed contributions from rookie running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, who were thrust into action after Rhamondre Stevenson left the game with an ankle injury. Strong and Harris scored two of New England’s three touchdowns in the win, with linebacker Raekwon McMillan providing the other on a fumble return.
Those players’ roles moving forward likely will depend on how quickly the Patriots’ injured starters recover, but Marcus Jones, in particular, has proven he deserves to be involved in all three phases. The Patriots will visit the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday before closing out their season with games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
“However I can help the team, I’m definitely down for it,” Jones said.
