What Mac Jones did (and didn’t do) at Patriots practice on Friday

For the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain on Sunday, Mac Jones took the field on Friday, joining the Patriots for their final practice session of the week. Jones’ presence, after missing the first two days of the week, only adds to the speculation that he could be available when the Patriots take on the Packers in Green Bay this Sunday.

Friday is generally a less-intense day of practice, which may be part of the reason Jones was able to take part at least in some extent. The first two days of the week are typically when the team installs the game plan, with Friday being more of a walk-through tempo to iron out the details.

However, only about five minutes of that process is open to the media, which mainly consists of stretching and positional drills. So while we can’t say if/how involved Jones was with the first-team offense, here’s what we did see.

Jones was on the opposite end of the field from the media, which is where the quarterbacks typically start practice. He was behind a red and white throwing net, and didn’t move from that spot for the entirety of the five-minute window, only occasionally taking a single step in one direction or the other. This continued even when the other two quarterbacks, Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe, moved on to the next station.

There were a couple of times where Jones threw the ball while stationary, but he only threw with the upper-half of his body. Both of his ankles were lightly taped, and there didn’t appear to be any extra bracing or padding on his left leg. He was smiling and laughing with one of the staffers near him, and looked like he was happy to be back out on the field.

What does all of this mean? It’s tough to say. We’ll get a better idea when the final injury report of the week – including game statuses – comes out later in the day. As of right now, the expectation is Jones will be a game-time decision. Or, in other words, is ‘day-by-day.’

It is worth noting that attendance at practice doesn’t always guarantee a player will play. Last week, both Jakobi Meyers and Kyle Dugger were in attendance at all three practices. But after being listed as non-participants on Wednesday and Thursday and limited on Friday, they both missed the game against the Ravens.

With Jones back on the field, the Patriots were only missing two players at practice. Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy (shoulder) has been out all week, while offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste (thumb) has missed two days after being limited on Wednesday.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.