Patriots player profile: Marcus Jones is New England’s version of Travis Hunter, at least in theory

Previewing the Patriots cornerback, punt returner and offensive gadget piece heading into his fourth season with the team.

The 2025 NFL Draft featured one of the most unique prospects in recent memory: Travis Hunter out of Colorado was projected as a top pick due to his ability to perform on both sides of the ball, a rarity in this day and age of pro football. Hunter is, of course, a unicorn considering his qualities as both a full(ish)-time receiver and cornerback, but he is not the only two-way player in the league today.

The New England Patriots have their own, for example: fourth-year man Marcus Jones.

Hard facts

Name: Marcus Jones

Position: Cornerback/Punt returner/Wide receiver

Jersey number: 25

Opening day age: 26 (10/22/1998)

Measurements: 5’8”, 188 lbs, 28 7/8” arm length, 8 7/8” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

NFL: New England Patriots (2022-) | College: Troy (2017-18), Houston (2019-21)

Seeing action at wide receiver, cornerback, and as a return man, Jones was ranked as a three-star recruit out of Enterprise High School in Enterprise, AL. He originally committed to his lone Power 5 offer, Purdue, but later changed course and joined Troy. He spent two seasons with the Trojans and appeared in 24 games with 10 starts.

After sitting out the 2019 season due to the NCAA’s transfer rules, Jones played 20 games with 17 starts at Houston. Proving himself a dangerous player with the ball in his hands, he became a three-way contributor again by his senior season, resulting in him winning the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. In total, he finished his college career with 11 touchdowns between offense, defense and special teams and was named an All-American three times, including as a consensus selection in 2021.

The Patriots liked what they saw and in 2022 made Jones the 85th overall selection in the third round of the NFL Draft. Since then, he has played 31 contests and continued to see action in all three phases of the game. He was voted first-team All-Pro punt returner as a rookie and has one receiving, interception return and punt return touchdown each on his pro résumé.

Scouting report

Strengths: Jones is a fluid athlete, who offers an intriguing blend of speed, acceleration and quickness. He combines this skillset with an advanced technical makeup that allows him to be a capable man coverage defender, whose best work comes in the slot. He has the footwork and poise to follow his assignments through their patterns, reads routes and recovers well, and has the vision and reactionary skills to play the ball in the air.

Jones’ coverage skills are complemented by a willingness to play the run. While lacking in size, he is a competitive player from a physical perspective — something that also shows up in press-man looks — and is a sound wrap-up tackler. He can hold down the edge versus the run, and has shown a red-hot motor when pursuing ball carriers.

One of Jones’ defining traits is his versatility. While probably not a candidate for a full-time role on offense, he has shown that he can have a positive impact as a gadget wide receiver/running back hybrid. He also is one of the best punt returners in the NFL today, whose athletic abilities and vision make him a regular home-run threat — something that is also true on offense and defense when touching the ball.

Weaknesses: Measuring 5-foot-8, 188 pounds with 28 7/8-inch arms, Jones lacks size and length, which in turn limits his ability to attack the ball or compete against every type of wide receiver. His play strength is marginal as well, and he can at times struggle to get off blocks in the running or screen game. Even though he reacts well, his work in zone coverage or indeed on the outside lacks the consistency he has shown as a man coverage slot.

Jones also has dealt with injury concerns since entering the NFL. He spent his rookie offseason rehabbing from surgery on both his shoulders and in his first three years as a pro played only 31 of 51 possible games.

2024 review

Stats: 14 games (9 starts) | 586 defensive snaps (52.4%), 55 special teams snaps (12.6%), 5 offensive snaps (0.5%) | 58 tackles, 5 missed tackles (7.9%), 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery | 63 targets, 38 catches allowed (60.3%), 466 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT | 2 quarterback pressures (2 hurries) | 26 punt returns, 386 yards (14.8 yards/return), 2 fumbles (0 lost), 1 fumble recovery | 1 target, 1 catch, 18 yards | 1 carry, 5 yards | 4 penalties (2 declined)

Season recap: After appearing in just two games during his 2023 sophomore campaign, Jones was limited with another injury in training camp 2024. However, the undisclosed issue did not prevent him from being ready for the season opener against Cincinnati — a game that saw him play 80 percent of defensive snaps and register a fumble recovery.

While Jones’ play and availability fluctuated over the remainder of the season, that game against the Bengals was a sign that he had put his injury-shortened 2023 season behind him. He had again become a regular on defense in his third season, working as both a slot cornerback and a perimeter option, and generally held his own despite seeing a fairly high number of passes (63) thrown his way.

As a cornerback, Jones did not just register the aforementioned fumble recovery but also an interception versus Houston’s C.J. Stroud in Week 6. He also was credited with 10 passes defended, the second-highest number on the team behind only Christian Gonzalez’s 11.

Of course, his contributions again went beyond playing defense. Jones also was the Patriots’ punt returner of choice yet again, and finished the season with a respectable average of 14.8 yards per runback — second in the NFL among qualifying punt returners. While he did put the ball on the ground twice, he had a positive impact in the field position battle for a team that had its issues on offense.

Speaking of that side of the ball, coordinator Alex Van Pelt opted to use Jones relatively sparingly. He did not see the field on offense until Week 11, after asking Van Pelt to be introduced into the mix; even when he was, he was mostly employed as a decoy: he touched the ball twice in his five snaps, gaining a combined 23 yards.

Unfortunately for Jones, any chance at more action on offense or in the other two phases went up in smoke when he sustained a hip injury in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. The issue kept him out for two weeks, and later prompted the Patriots to send him to injured reserve for the season finale.

To a degree, Jones’ 2024 was therefore again one of unfulfilled promise. On the whole, however, there was plenty to feel good about as well.

2025 preview

Position: Slot CB/Punt returner/Package WR-RB hybrid | Ability: Fringe starter/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2025

What will be his role? Even though Jones saw a significant number of outside snaps in his first three NFL seasons, the expectation is that he will spend a majority of his time in the slot in 2025. Besides projecting as a starter-level player at the position and therefore one of New England’s top three cornerbacks, he also will continue to see extensive snaps as a punt returner. The biggest uncertainty as far as his usage is concerned is whether or not he will be employed on the offensive side of the ball again under new coordinator Josh McDaniels.

What is his growth potential? Most of Jones’ issues over the course of his career have been tied to either his lack of size or injury history. That said, even in Year 4 there are areas he can address to become a more well-rounded player. If so, he has shown that he can be a starting slot cornerback and one of the top punt returners in football. He is not on the same level on offense, though, and there are questions about how an increased role would impact his play and availability in the other two phases.

Does he have positional versatility? Despite averaging only 0.8 offensive snaps per game over the course of his career, Jones has the experience and skillset to be a three-way contributor. Whether or not the Patriots’ new coaching staff feels the same way remains to be seen, though. At the very least, however, he is an able cornerback with inside/out flexibility as well as one of the top punt returners in the league.

What is his salary cap situation? Jones is entering the final season of his rookie contract carrying a cap hit of $1.647 million. The structure of that number is fairly simple: it consists of a $1.41 million base salary plus a fully-guaranteed $236,264 signing bonus proration.

How safe is his roster spot? New England’s No. 1 slot cornerback during the open portion of offseason workouts and a potential game changer as a punt returner, Jones seems like a safe bet to make the roster come the regular season. Whether he will be on the team throughout the season is a question mark, though, considering his injury history.

Summary: Jones may be the Patriots’ version of Travis Hunter, but he is far less polished as a two-way athlete and playmaker than the first-round rookie. That said, he is still somebody who can and will positively contribute to his team in 2025 and at least leave an impact as a starter-caliber slot cornerback and All-Pro-level punt returner.

What do you think about Marcus Jones heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.