Patriots' Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones Receive Positive Injury Updates

The New England Patriots cornerback duo have been out for some time, but are they close to returning?

Jul 26, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) trains with a resistance rope during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Of the New England Patriots we saw hit the field during their second preseason game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, there were a few names who were absent from the preliminary action, ultimately raising questions on how their availability may look as we progress into the regular season.

Within that list of inactives, we saw Patriots' standout cornerback duo Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones, two projected starters in the New England secondary, be included in that group. It left the Patriots a bit short-handed in their second of three preseason matchups, and while they're just exhibitions, it wouldn't hurt to see this DB core healthy and in the lineup for a least a few series.

However, there looks to be a shot to see either one, or both of them back in the mix for the Patriots' final preseason game of the year. According to head coach Jerod Mayo, each of the Jones's are extremely close to being back on the field once again in preparation for next week:

"I would say both of those guys are very close to returning."

- Jerod Mayo on Jonathan & Marcus Jones

Both corners have been dealing with some undisclosed injuries within training camp that have kept them out of some of the Patriots' latest practices.

During their joint practice with the Eagles, things were trending up as Marcus and Jonathan were each limited participants, but rather than throw them into the preseason fire, Coach Mayo elected to hand off some rest, preparing for their upcoming match on Sunday, and moving into Week One vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

As the Patriots were mitigating their losses on Thursday, we saw a combination of names like Christian Gonzalez, Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, and rookie Marcellas Dial take a bulk of the snaps on Thursday. Thankfully, given the preseason circumstances, it offered a golden opportunity for the lower depth chart guys to make a statement for a stronger bid on the 53-man roster.

Moving forward, though, expect to see a bit more of the first-team corners in the fold as they not only get healthy, but as New England also begins to whittle down their 90-man roster. The time for the Patriots to make their depth chart decisions comes right around the corner, as the NFL deadline arrives soon on August 25th.

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