Marcus Jones did a bit of everything or the Patriots on Monday night.
With New England down its top two receivers in Arizona, the rookie cornerback played a career-high eight snaps on offense. With cornerbacks Jacks Jones and Jalen Mills sidelined due to injuries, he saw a career-high 67 defensive snaps. And Jones once again served as the Patriots' primary return specialist, seeing 42% of special teams snaps in the 27-13 victory over the Cardinals.
And Jones wasn't just out there. He made an impact in all three phases.
The third-round pick, often covering star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, finished with five passes defended, including an interception returned 18 yards. He also caught one pass for 12 yards and returned one punt for seven yards while averaging 23.5 yards on his two kickoff returns.
The busy performance impressed longtime Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
"Are you not entertained?!?" Hightower tweeted along with a laughing emoji.
The question now becomes: How will the Patriots manage Jones' workload moving forward?
His speed and play-making ability have made it difficult to take him off the field. Jones makes a difference whenever he's in the game and looks like a natural in his limited role on offense. Plus, with New England dealing with multiple key injuries on both sides of the ball, Jones might stay busy for the foreseeable future.
But the Patriots also are playing with fire with a player who only is 5-foot-8 and remains inexperienced at the NFL level. Giving 86 total snaps to an undersized rookie probably isn't sustainable.
Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how Jones is used in Sunday afternoon's road game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots need to win that game and putting Jones on the field as much as possible will give them a better chance of earning a victory in a pivotal matchup.
