The Patriots’ cornerback room has quickly become a strength of their team. Christian Gonzalez is no doubt a star, and the addition of Carlton Davis meant an experienced CB2. Alex Austin had an incredible preseason, and the team also added Charles Woods from waivers, who played twelve games with the L.A. Rams last year.
With all the new additions and ascending players, one has stuck out above all the rest: Marcus Jones. Part of a 2022 draft class that ended up being a dismal one for the Patriots, Jones has been a star. Initially, his stardom stemmed from his versatility, as he scored in all three phases during his rookie year.
He later settled into being a regular part of the defense and eventually the starting slot corner, along with the primary punt returner.
This season, he is the league’s highest graded punt returner and the second highest graded returner overall. With a key interception against the Bills in the red zone and another phenomenal sequence earlier in the game against Keon Coleman, Jones showed out.
Marcus Jones earns major praise from his Patriots teammates for early season performance
To no surprise, the spotlight has been on the aforementioned Gonzalez and Davis, but Jones is now getting special praise from the pair of outside cornerbacks. Davis went as far as to say that playing with Jones is “one of the great joys of playing in New England”.
Both players also credited the third member of the unit – Marcus Jones – after another strong performance.
Davis: “He’s such a special player… Playing with Marcus is one of the great joys of playing in New England.” https://t.co/tVmANiE5jt
https://twitter.com/iambrianhines/status/1975234681772920939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Jones is playing at the highest level we’ve seen from him in his career on defense. We’ll have to see if he is utilized on offense at all this year, but there’s little doubt he’ll continue to be a contributor on defense and special teams.
Jones is also in the final year of his contract, so there’s little doubt Vrabel and company will do anything they can to keep the former Houston Cougar around. Keisean Nixon, a stellar return man and slot corner for the Packers, recently got $6 million per season from the Packers. Jones is better, but plays a similar role, so perhaps $8.5 million per season would suffice?
Keeping the former third-round pick around for the long haul is a must for the Patriots in order to continue their success on the defensive side of the ball. Jones is a star, and now the whole league can see that.
