Even at 2-7, there is still never a dull moment when it comes to the New England Patriots.
In addition to the angst undoubtedly being felt by the Pats after their 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, a bit of controversy may be brewing in their defensive backfield.
Despite both rookie Christian Gonzalez and second-year speedster Marcus Jones on season-ending injured reserve — not to mention veteran Jonathan Jones playing through a myriad of injuries — the Pats began Week 9 with arguably their two top perimeter cornerbacks on the bench: J.C. Jackson and Jack Jones.
Though neither player was given an injury designation heading into Sunday's contest, Jackson ended up missing the game's first two drives, while Jones did not see the field until the Pats' fourth offensive series. Jones finished the game with three total tackles, while Jackson registered only one combined tackle.
Although both Jones and Jackson ultimately received notable playing time [Jackson has been unofficially credited with 53 snaps, Jones with 30,] the reason for their alleged demotion remains something of a mystery. However, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was not in a divulgatory mood when speaking with reporters after the game.
“Everybody played. They all played,” Belichick told reporters when questioned regarding both corners’ status for Sunday’s game. “We played all the corners,” he added. “We played all the safeties. Really, we played everyone on the defense.”
While Belichick's comments seem to debunk the theory that the duo was held from the start of the game due to punitive reasons, the actions of both Jackson and Jones seem to indicate some discontent with their respective usage. Jackson reportedly brushed away reporters during postgame locker room availability by saying “I’m not talking.” Jones, meanwhile, left Gillette Stadium before the locker room was opened to reporters, per Patriots public relations announced. Still, New England's second-year corner was active on social media in a series of interesting posts following the game's conclusion.
A subsequent report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic appeared to reveal that the pair had been benched due to “recent performance issues.” While each has shown flashes of prominence in New England's secondary, Jackson gave up five catches for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with Jones responsible for a 31-yard touchdown in the Pats' Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Patriots safety, while stopping short of confirming or denying any of the rumors surrounding each player's status, safety Adrian Phillips did offer a rather cryptic quote regarding their status.
“I can’t get into that, but if you want to know what that is, you’re going to have to talk to them,” Phillips told Kyed. But they ended up playing so it is what it is.”
Jackson re-joined the Patriots via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers in early October. The 27-year-old spent from 2018-21 with the Patriots — a four-year stint which included a Super Bowl championship (LIII) and earning nods as a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Since his return, he has logged 14 tackles and three passes-defensed.
Jones has earned 10 tackles and a pass break-up in four games this season after spending the first five games of the season on injured reserve. The Arizona State product had quite a tumultuous offseason, in which he faced weapons charges stemming from a June arrest at Boston's Logan Airport. The charges against Jones were dropped in September.
The Patriots will remain in New England until Thursday, when they travel to Frankfurt, Germany for a Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts as a part of the NFL's International Series of games.
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