Patriots Injury Report: Mac Jones Not Listed Despite Speculation

All eyes were on Wednesday’s Patriots injury report and whether Mac Jones would appear on it.

Hours before practice, Bill Belichick said he’d “see what the injury situation is” before making any calls on who will start Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The comment led some to wonder whether Jones, who underwent X-rays on his throwing shoulder in Germany, could pop up on the injury report. Jones’ lack of reps during the media-access portion of practice only fueled the speculation.

However, Jones didn’t appear on the report, and he appeared in good spirits while walking through the locker room after practice. That said, all signs point toward Bailey Zappe starting Sunday, with Malik Cunningham potentially seeing work as well. Whether Jones will play at all after getting benched again last weekend remains to be seen.

Receiver Demario Douglas and Ty Montgomery both missed Wednesday’s practice. Douglas is dealing with a concussion, while Montgomery is nursing a knee injury. Recent precedent makes it fair to wonder whether Douglas will clear concussion protocol in time to play this weekend.

Five players were added to the report, including running back Ezekiel Elliott and receiver Kayshon Boutte. Cornerback Jonathan Jones was removed and appears to be a full-go for the Chargers game.

Here’s the full report, via New England’s official website:

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WR Demario Douglas, Concussion
RB Ty Montgomery II, Illness

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
C David Andrews, Foot
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, Hamstring
LB Chris Board, Back
WR Kayshon Boutte, Shoulder
OT Trent Brown, Ankle / Chest
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Thigh
OL Riley Reiff, Knee
SpT Matthew Slater, Ankle
G Sidy Sow, Ankle
DL Deatrich Wise Jr., Shoulder

The Patriots will practice again Thursday and Friday before holding a closed walkthrough Saturday. Zappe is slated to speak with reporters on Thursday, another indication he’s planning to start.

Sunday’s game against the Chargers is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET.