Patriots coaches explain ‘primary focus’ for Marcus Jones
On Friday, New England Patriots coaches explained why it took so long for cornerback Marcus Jones to be used as a gadget player on offense this season.
Last week the New England Patriots unveiled a first-time offensive wrinkle for 2024, using cornerback Marcus Jones on offense for the first time this season. Jones played two offensive snaps, including one that saw him get a handoff he took for a five yard gain.
While this offensive package for Jones was a first in 2024, it wasn’t the first time he’s played offense in the NFL. After being a two-way player in college the Patriots mixed Jones in on offense in the second half of his rookie year in 2022. That year Jones caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown on 18 offensive snaps. Last year Jones played just one offensive snap before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the second game of the year.
Between those offensive opportunities and what Jones has shown as a punt returner (his 13.3 yards per punt return rank fourth in the NFL since 2022 among players with more than 10 returns), he’s proven to be a threat with the football in his hands.
So, as the Patriots offense struggled in 2024 some wondered why the Jones offensive package didn’t return sooner. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt shared that answer on Thursday, saying Jones had texted him about playing offense the week before. Van Pelt added he wasn’t aware of Jones’ offensive background before Jones reached out to him.
Friday morning, head coach Jerod Mayo added more context as to why it never came up with Van Pelt that Jones could be an option on offense.
“Look, the primary focus for us this year was to get Marcus healthy, and to get Marcus ready to go as a cornerback and a punt returner,” Mayo explained. “That was the primary goal, the primary focus. How much time do we want to spend on gadget plays? He’s most valuable on the defensive side of the ball and punt return.”
“For Marcus coming back from last season, I think the focus was just like this is a defensive player. That’s primarily what he is, and a return guy,” added wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes, who was on the staff when Jones was first used as an offensive player in 2022. “We were focused on him as a team in that role. Then as the season’s progressed it’s opened up other opportunities for him.”
LISTEN: Zo on Marcus Jones & Alex Van Pelt
Even if the Patriots didn’t want to overwork Jones early in his return from the shoulder injury, should the returning members of the staff have made Van Pelt aware of Jones’ history on offense earlier on? “To me, everyone in this building, everyone knows what he can do with the ball in his hands,” Mayo said when asked that question on Friday. “I mean, we see those things. Again, I would say the primary focus was for him to play corner.”
As for Jones himself, he’s repeatedly talked about focusing primarily on his defensive role. That’s been the case since he first started playing two ways in 2022, and continued to this week. “I just basically told him it was just one of those situations to where, I like the offensive side, but I’m always defensive guy,” Jones shared on Thursday on his conversation with Van Pelt.
Jones has been a crucial part of the Patriots’ defense this season. He’s played 64.4 percent of the team’s defensive snaps this year, which has him just 18 snaps behind veteran Jonathan Jones as the Patriots’ second-most used cornerback after Christian Gonzalez.
Through 11 games in 2024 Jones has been targeted 49 times in 297 coverage snaps, allowing 30 catches with three pass breakups and an interception. Opposing quarterbacks have a 94.9 passer rating when targeting Jones, which is the second-lowest among qualified defenders on the team after only Gonzalez. As a punt returner Jones ranks third in the NFL this year averaging 15.6 yards per return.
Will Jones’ role on offense continue on top of that? It’s something to look for this Sunday when the Patriots visit the Dolphins. It’s a 1:00 p.m. kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium, with pregame coverage beginning at 10:00 on 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Patriots Radio Network.
