Getty A two-time All-Pro has been named a "potential replacement" for New England Patriots' cornerback Jack Jones.
Bill Belichick has a well-earned reputation for developing quality NFL cornerbacks from scratch, but the New England Patriots head coach hasn’t been above spending at the position if a Pro Bowl-level talent is available.
Stephon Gilmore was a signing too good to miss when he left AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills in 2017, and Belichick might feel the same way about Marcus Peters. Especially if the Patriots opt to replace Jack Jones.
Peters, who has earned first-team All-Pro honors twice and been invited to three Pro Bowls, has been named a “potential Jack Jones replacement” by NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel.
Jones was arrested by Massachusetts State Police on Friday, June 16, at Boston Logan International Airport, according to CNN, after TSA screeners found “two loaded firearms and ammunition” in an unnamed passenger’s carry-on luggage, a press release indicates.
The 25-year-old pleaded not guilty on July 18 to “two counts of possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, possession of ammunition without an FID card, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession of a large capacity feeding device,” CBS News reported.
But Chad Graff of The Athletic reported that “it’s not clear whether he’ll be on the field when camp opens July 26 — or whether they’ll place him on the non-football injury list while awaiting an outcome in court.”
While there’s been no indication the Patriots will opt to replace Jones, Belichick may be tempted to add a veteran to the depth chart before training camp. If so, he won’t find many defensive backs as accomplished as Peters still available.
Proven Cover Man Ideal for Patriots
Belichick still has $15,091,332 left under the salary cap, per Spotrac.com, more than enough to make a deal for Peters work. That would be safer than developing another unknown the way Belichick did with undrafted free agents Malcolm Butler and Jonathan Jones.
Peters is still enough of a ball hawk to be an asset in Belichick’s schemes. Those schemes usually involve a heavy diet of sticky man-to-man coverage, but Peters has often excelled playing off-man techniques.
When he has, the former Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens star has proved highly opportunistic. Peters has 32 career interceptions, including one against the Patriots in Week 3 last season.
Numbers from Pro Football Focus show this was one of the eight-year pro’s best games of an otherwise trying campaign.
Marcus Peters vs the Patriots:
🔒 40 coverage snaps
🔒 1 catch allowed
🔒 1 INT
🔒 1 forced incompletion
🔒 14.6 passer rating allowed
His struggles were summed up by allowing a 64.3 completion percentage, along with a 113.7 quarterback rating, per Pro Football Reference. Peters appears to be on the decline, but he can still make an impact in the right system.
That system must limit the amount of times Peters tries to get grabby and lockup receivers in press coverage. It’s not his strong suit, something Julian Edelman and the Patriots exploited to help beat the Rams in the 2019 Super Bowl, with NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger highlighting one of many examples when Peters struggled at close quarters.
.@Patriots @Edelman11 with a great piece of route running to shake Marcus Peters. #BaldysBreakdowns
If he’s not put in bad positions, Peters would add experience to a Patriots’ cornerback group that’s young and relatively untested. Belichick used his first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft to select Christian Gonzalez, and while the ex-Oregon standout is expected to dominate, he’s still a rookie.
Gonzalez could get help from Marcus Jones, although the second-year corner may slide inside to the slot this season. Jonathan Jones still provides a veteran presence, but there’s room for another proven cover man.
Peters fits the bill, provided Belichick could beat one of his ex-assistants, Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach Josh McDaniels, to a deal.
Las Vegas Raiders Linked to 3-Time Pro Bowler
Belichick’s former offensive coordinator could beat his old boss to securing Peters’ signature. The Raiders have been heavily linked to the player, with Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeting it “feels like Marcus Peters to the Raiders is inevitable.”
Feels like Marcus Peters to the @Raiders is inevitable.
On Wednesday, June 14, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed reported “the Raiders seem likely to sign veteran cornerback Marcus Peters before training camp.”
That hasn’t happened yet, so the Patriots still have a chance to make their own contract offer. Stiefel added the franchise is “almost certain to add at least one” free agent, and Peters makes the most sense.
Acquiring Peters would ensure there’s a proven commodity underpinning a key position and easing the pressure on Gonzalez to carry the secondary.