Should Patriots Be Concerned About This Veteran Defender?

If all of its members are available, the Patriots' cornerback group should be deeper and more well-rounded than it was a year ago.

Remove one important piece, though, and things get much more precarious.

That piece: Jonathan Jones.

New England's longest-tenured defensive back missed his seventh consecutive practice Wednesday, sitting out the first of two joint sessions in Green Bay. Jones has not taken the field since Aug. 3, meaning his absence now has spanned nearly two full weeks.

Jones' DNP status hasn't generated many headlines -- surprisingly few, you could say, for a player who started all but one game in 2022 and very well could be a team captain for the first time this season. But without the 29-year-old, his position group suddenly becomes alarmingly inexperienced.

With Jones unavailable, the top four players on New England's depth chart at outside cornerback are:

-- First-round rookie Christian Gonzalez
-- Second-year pro Jack Jones
-- Second-year pro Marcus Jones
-- Seventh-round rookie Isaiah Bolden

Rounding out that group are Shaun Wade, Ameer Speed, Quandre Mosely and Rodney Randle.

Wade is entering his third season with the Patriots but has played just 29 snaps in his career. Mosely has played one NFL snap. Randle only has seen regular-season action in the CFL, and Speed is a rookie sixth-round pick known more for his work on special teams.

The Patriots also have Jalen Mills, who was one of their starting perimeter corners in 2021 and '22, but he's now playing safety.

Jonathan Jones isn't a lockdown cover man -- that showed in one-sided matchups against Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs last season -- but he's a solid, savvy veteran who can play outside, in the slot or back deep at safety. The Patriots generally know what they're going to get with Jones, who allowed just 18.9 receiving yards per game and two total touchdowns last season against every team that didn't feature Jefferson or Diggs, per Pro Football Focus.

The same can't be said about any of his position mates.

Gonzalez has No. 1 potential and has looked like a no-doubt starter in his first NFL training camp, but rookie growing pains are inevitable for the highly touted 21-year-old. Jack Jones has a history of suspensions, including one handed down by the Patriots last season, and is facing multiple gun-related charges stemming from his June arrest at Logan Airport. The 5-foot-8 Marcus Jones is at a distinct disadvantage when facing bigger receivers. Bolden is a seventh-round draft pick who played against FCS competition at Jackson State.

All of those players are likely to improve as the season progresses, but the Patriots' opening month features formidable matchups against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith (Week 1), Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (Week 2), Garrett Wilson (Week 3) and CeeDee Lamb (Week 4). They'll also see Davante Adams, Diggs and Hill/Waddle again before the end of October.

The Patriots still are 3 1/2 weeks away from their season opener, and there's been no reporting to indicate Jonathan Jones will miss meaningful games. He's been seen running through conditioning drills off to the side during practices, suggesting whatever he's dealing with is relatively minor.

Still, his ongoing absence is worth noting as Week 1 draws closer. That punishing early stretch would be asking a lot of New England's young corners.