GREAT NEWS: Patriots’ fans favorite finally returns back to the team
Marcus Jones finished his rookie NFL season as an All-Pro punt returner, capping off a performance that felt more like the 1950s than 2022.
Jones’ second NFL season, however, was cut short in the second game after he suffered a torn labrum.
“I’m feeling good,” Jones stated during the New England Patriots’ training camp last week. “Just taking it one day at a time, trying to improve. …
“I am glad to be back. I haven’t worn the pads in a while, so the first day was a little sore. But this is one of those moments where I’m glad to be back.”
Jones, Houston’s third-round draft pick in 2022, was named first-team All-Pro and All-Rookie as a punt returner. He led the NFL with 362 punt returns for an average of 12.5 yards. Jones also scored one of the NFL’s three punt-return touchdowns during the 2022 season.
As a rookie, Jones played 370 snaps in the New England secondary and intercepted two passes, one of which he returned for score.
Jones also scored for the Patriots’ offense in 2022. He played 18 snaps as wide receiver, catching four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Jones became the first NFL player to have an interception, receiving touchdown, and punt-return touchdown in the same season since Pro Football Hall of Famer Ollie Matson for the Chicago Cardinals in 1954, and he joined Deion Sanders as the only players in NFL history to have a receiving touchdown, punt-return touchdown, and interception-return touchdown that all covered 40 yards or more in their careers.
“I take great pride in my versatility,” Jones stated. “Just being prepared because returning punts and everything is kind of like having an offensive mindset, you know, being able to make cuts and do things like that, so I always try to make sure I stay sharp on that, too.”
Jones, in his third season, appears to be positioned for a larger role on defense as the Patriots’ slot corner, and that is his primary emphasis.
“I’m a defensive person,” Jones explained. “If it comes down to it, and they want me to play offensive, I’ll come. When the time comes, I’ll be prepared. But for now, I’m on defense.
With first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez back after missing all but four games of his rookie season and ready to join Auburn veteran Jonathan Jones as cornerbacks, as well as safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, New England’s secondary is shaping up to be a strength.
Marcus Jones remarked that, like the rest of the secondary, he looks on Jonathan Jones for guidance.
“He’s played both outside and nickel,” Marcus Jones said. “We just make sure that always whenever we have questions, he’s seen more plays, been in more positions than all of us, so whenever we have a question, we ask him, and he always lets us know how we can do stuff.”
Marcus Jones also returned 27 kickoffs as a rookie and is excited to watch how the NFL’s new kickoff-return rules work.
“Man, I’m happy about it because there’s going to be more returns,” Jones told the crowd. “It will be a trial-and-error situation in the preseason to see how it goes. But everyone is trying to see what works.”
The New England Patriots will begin their preseason schedule against the Carolina Panthers at 6 p.m. CDT Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The NFL Network will broadcast the game.
Jones earned ASWA first-team All-State accolades in 2016 after intercepting five passes, returning three punts, one kickoff, and one fumble recovery for scores, as well as catching a touchdown pass.
Between Enterprise and Houston, Jones spent two seasons at Troy. He was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in 2017 after returning three kickoffs for touchdowns.
