What To Know About Jack Jones’ First Patriots Practice Since Arrest

FOXBORO, Mass. -- In many ways, Jack Jones' workload during Wednesday's Patriots practice looked a lot like what he saw during spring sessions. It was almost easy to forget what happened to the 25-year-old cornerback on June 16, the day New England started its summer break.

Jones was arrested that day on multiple gun charges after allegedly trying to bring loaded firearms through a security checkpoint at Logan Airport. He's due back in court on Aug. 18, after which we probably will get a better idea of his Patriots future.

In the days after his arrest, multiple reports indicated the 2022 fourth-round pick wasn't long for New England. But Jones made it through summer break unscathed, and even spent part of it tweeting at his haters. When asked about Jones on Tuesday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick declined to comment on the legal aspects of the situation but said the talented corner would be on the field Wednesday for New England's training camp opener.

And that's exactly what happened. Jones was one of the first defensive players to take the field on a day that saw the Patriots enjoy near-perfect attendance. He then went through his typical warmup routine before joining other defensive backs for early practice drills.

https://twitter.com/IanSteeleABC6/status/1684246813702750213

But what happened afterward? Was he exiled, merely demoted or given a heavy workload with the first-team defense?

Well, none of those things.

Jones was a full participant during practice but spent the bulk of the session with the second-team defense, opposite corner Qunadre Mosley. He looked solid, but the Patriots defense wasn't asked to do much during a practice that featured few competitive periods, all of which occurred near the goal line.

There are a few ways to read this. On one hand, Jones, who at times played over Christian Gonzalez as the No. 1 corner during the final spring practice in June, was relegated to apparent backup duty. On the other hand, he really didn't see much time with the starters during the spring, either, with New England featuring Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and a rotating cast of versatile D-backs as its primary cornerback grouping. The sophomore's reduced role in June could've been viewed as fallout from a promising rookie campaign that ended with a spot on the suspended list.

So, Wednesday's practice kinda felt like an extension of the spring for Jones. It was noteworthy in that it really wasn't. Again, it was as if there wasn't a very serious off-field issue looming over one of New England's top young players.

Just look at the way he interacted with Patriots fans after practice ended:

Jack Jones coming through … pic.twitter.com/AkWT96f8xe

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 26, 2023

As for Jones' teammates, their reactions to his situation vary wildly.

On Tuesday, special teams captain Matthew Slater offered a long, genuinely insightful answer when asked how he can "help" Jones through his legal woes. But on Wednesday, safety Kyle Dugger largely deflected a question about his teammate.

"You have to ask him about that," Dugger said. "I'm just happy I get to share the field with him. That's all I can say about that."

Despite Wednesday's business-as-usual appearance, Jones' legal situation remains a delicate matter and will be one of the top Patriots storylines to monitor throughout the summer. No outcome would be surprising, from Jones being off the team in a month to him being a meaningful contributor in Week 1.

But for now, there isn't much to report that's different from took place during minicamp and OTAs. We'll see if that changes as the first week of training camp progresses.