Patriots Coach Has Odd Explanation For Jack Jones, J.C. Jackson Benchings

After the Patriots made some unusual and eyebrow-raising decisions at cornerback during their loss to Washington, Mike Pellegrino said the focus should be more on the player who did start that game rather than the two who didn’t.

Pellegrino, New England’s cornerbacks coach, spent part of his Tuesday video conference praising third-year pro Shaun Wade, who surprisingly got the nod over J.C. Jackson and Jack Jones in Sunday’s 20-17 defeat at Gillette Stadium.

Jackson, who started the previous three games, sat out the first two defensive series before resuming close to his normal workload. Jones didn’t play for the first three series, then sat out most of the second half, as well.

Veteran Jonathan Jones started at the other cornerback spot, with Myles Bryant handling his usual slot duties.

“I feel like the narrative’s a little messed up,” Pellegrino said. “Like, what did Shaun do to really earn that? Everyone’s trying to make it about (Jackson and Jack Jones), but what did Shaun do to really earn that right? And Shaun had a great week of practice. Shaun played really well, and Shaun did his job.

“I think the narrative should be really more pushed toward, ‘What did Shaun do right to earn that opportunity?’ Because Shaun has done a lot of great things here for us in this past year and is a different player than what he has been in the past. So, my hat’s off to Shaun. He did all the right things, and he got what he deserved.”

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Wade has been the low man on the Patriots’ cornerback depth chart since he arrived in 2021. Injuries forced him into extended playing time earlier this season, but the Ohio State product entered Sunday having not played a single defensive snap over the previous two games.

The Ohio State product didn’t see much playing time against the Commanders, either. Though Pellegrino said Wade earned his opportunity to start, he only played 13 defensive snaps in the loss, most of which came on the opening two series while Jackson and Jones both sat. Wade did not make any obvious errors and was not targeted in coverage.

Pellegrino’s comments read more as him trying to deflect attention (aka “the narrative”) away from Jackson and Jones, who struggled in the team’s Week 8 loss to Miami before having their roles reduced against Washington.

Head coach Bill Belichick wouldn’t say much about the duo’s usage, only that they were not benched and that the Patriots played “everybody.” Pellegrino’s take?

“Things happen,” Pellegrino said. “I just put the guys out there that I felt like were ready to go in that moment. Everybody knows what they need to do to play, so I’ll just kind of leave it at that. I’m not trying to create a narrative. I trust all my guys. They all went in and played, right?

“I’ve said this from Week 1: If they’re at the game, that means they’re ready, prepared and they’re ready to go into the game. I have faith in all my guys to go out there and execute the game plan and do a great job, so I really just did what I thought was best in that moment.”

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Jackson and Jones began the game on the bench “due to recent performance issues.”

Jones also raised eyebrows by sitting on the actual, physical bench with a towel around his neck for part of one early series. Defensive substitutes typically stand near the sideline, ready to check in if they’re called. Jones’ behavior suggested he was not fully engaged.

Pellegrino, who’s positioned in the coaching box during games, said he “didn’t really see that” but downplayed the moment’s significance.

“You could ask Jack about that, but I would say that would be an outlier,” the coach said. “I’ve never seen Jack really on the bench when the defense was up, so it must have been something going wrong for a quick second. But I’m not going to speak on it. He can talk about it. I wouldn’t blow it out of proportion. It’s probably just one thing that happened.

“If it was a consistent thing, would I be concerned? Yeah. But it’s not a consistent thing, so I wouldn’t really hang my hat on that one. That’s not the guy that I know.”

The Patriots’ secondary will be eyeing a bounce-back performance when New England faces the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany.