FRANKFURT, Germany — A reported team rules violation resulted in a reduced role last Sunday for Patriots cornerback Jack Jones.
Jones, who reportedly missed curfew at the team hotel the night before New England’s home loss to the Washington Commanders, sat for the first three series of that game and did not see the field after the opening drive of the second half.
At times, the second-year pro appeared disengaged as he waited to take his first snap, watching part of one drive from the bench with a towel around his neck while the other defensive substitutes stood near the sideline.
It was a bad visual for a player who’s had trouble keeping his nose clean both before and since he arrived in New England last year. It was a different story in practice this week, however, according to one of the Patriots’ top defensive leaders.
Veteran safety Jabrill Peppers on Friday praised the way Jones “responded” to his gameday punishment.
“We’re all grown men. He took it like a man,” Peppers said after the Patriots’ practice at the DFB Campus. “He knows what we expect from him. He knows what the team expects from him, and we expect that we’ll get that from him.
“So it is what it is. We handled it. It’s behind us now. The only thing to do is come out here with a win.”
Jones was a full practice participant this week, and Peppers’ comments seemed to indicate he won’t face additional discipline in this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts at Frankfurt Stadium.
The Patriots will need his coverage skills with fellow cornerback J.C. Jackson, who also reportedly missed curfew last Saturday, told to stay home. Head coach Bill Belichick said he expects Jackson to rejoin the team once it returns to Foxboro, Mass., but the 27-year-old did not make the trip to Germany and will not play Sunday.
Jones has started just two games in his NFL career and none since Week 13 of last season. Expect the Patriots to deploy either him or third-year backup Shaun Wade opposite veteran starter Jonathan Jones.
