Another week, another serious injury for the New England Patriots in a preseason game. This time, it happened to beleaguered defensive back Cyrus Jones. Just like last week's injury, the moment appeared not to be derived from contact, increasing the likelihood of a serious injury. It will take some time, however, before the team has any certainty about whether or not they are losing yet another player for the entire season.
Patriots lose another one
Jones was covering a New York Giants receiver when it appeared that his right knee suddenly gave way.
As the ball sailed out of bounds, the defensive back took a couple of more steps before crumpling to the ground. The Patriots' medical staff needed to assist Jones and get him to the sideline, where he was examined and quickly ruled out for the remainder of the night's contest.
This injury comes just a week after wide receiver Julian Edelman suffered a similar knee injury sans contact. His injury proved to be serious, as he's already been ruled out for the season. He's a much bigger loss than Jones would be, but the team still hopes their second-year defensive back and valuable punt returner isn't forced to miss the season. Guesses are, the news is not going to be good for the Patriots come Friday morning.
What Jones brings to the team
Jones had a rough rookie season as a defensive back and appeared to be low down on the depth chart. If nothing else, he would've provided defensive depth for the team as one of the last members of the 53-man roster. He only recorded seven tackles last season, failing to record an interception and being declared inactive for the Super Bowl.
The Patriots won't entirely miss him on defense.
Where he will be missed is on special teams. After Edelman's injury, the punt returning duties virtually became Jones' to lose in the last preseason game. The team doesn't have any obvious solution at the spot now, with a week until the regular season begins, leaving little time for a transaction.
Other options include Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola, and D.J. Foster - none are ideal for the Patriots, though.
This has been a preseason of serious injuries for the Patriots, with Jones just the latest blow. Next year, Bill Belichick will probably bubble wrap his players and make sure none of them can take the field for games that ultimately don't matter in his team's pursuit of a Super Bowl. For now, however, he is stuck to pick up the pieces.
