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One of the few bright spots in the New England Patriots‘ 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on December 1 was the explosiveness of rookie cornerback-turned-receiver Marcus Jones.
He got an opportunity to play offense against the Bills and made the most of his chance, taking a slot-receiver screen 48 yards for a TD. His highlight prompted The Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard to dub him “Baby Tyreek.”
“Marcus Jones’ speed is absurd. Of course he should play offense more. A Baby Tyreek a little bit,” Bedard wrote in his December 3 column, referencing Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
It was the Patriots’ lone touchdown on the night and an example of the short game — the one that quarterback Mac Jones appeared to complain about — actually working.
Bedard made another plea in his column to get Jones on offense more often, intimating that he and fellow rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton could form a speedy receiving package resembling the Dolphins’ Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
“Can they figure out how to pair Jones and Thornton at the same time? Some actual speed on the field for the Patriots!” Bedard wrote.
Jones still needs more reps if he’s going to impact the offense truly, but it would appear he is at least ready to be a gadget guy or decoy. After his 48-yard scamper against the Bills, opposing teams may be very aware of him any time he moves forward on the field on offense. As it is, Jones’ ability as a return man and big-play guy on offense might make him the most valuable rookie on the Patriots’ roster this season.
Around the NFL: The Denver Broncos Are Getting Big-Time WRs Back From Injury
Per the NFL Network’s James Palmer, the Denver Broncos are expected to have wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy available on December 4 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Sutton had been listed on the injury report with an illness, while Jeudy had missed the last two games with an ankle injury. The Broncos are 3-8 and can ill afford to be without another wide receiver. KJ Hamler is expected to miss extended time with a hamstring injury.
The Broncos are currently in last place in the AFC West and would need to win all six of their final games to finish the season with a winning record. This is probably not what Russell Wilson had in mind when he landed with the Broncos this off-season.
Around the NFL: Update on the Return of Chase Young
Washington Commanders’ young defensive star Chase Young is still waiting to make his 2022 debut after a knee injury in 2021 cost him a good portion of this season.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Young is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Young is expected to work out during pre-game to gauge if Young is ready to play against the Giants.
The Commanders may be wise to keep Young out of the game against the Giants. With the Commanders’ upcoming bye week, Young could get two more weeks to recover while only missing one more game.
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