The Patriots are re-signing Cyrus Jones
He's back.
The Patriots need a punt returner, and they’re turning to their 2016 second-round draft pick Cyrus Jones.
Jones is re-signing in Foxborough on a two-year deal, a league source told the Globe.
Jones was released at the start of September when the Patriots trimmed their roster to 53 players. The cornerback landed on the Ravens practice squad.
Jones had a difficult tenure in New England. He muffed a handful of punts his rookie year and spent all of 2017 recovering after he tore his ACL in the preseason finale.
There were days during training camp where the Patriots had Jones work on almost nothing besides catching punts. He’d line up deep for punt after punt and work on ball security.
Jones may get some opportunities to jump in the mix on defense, but punt returning will likely be his primary job. With Julian Edelman suspended and Patrick Chung dealing with a concussion, the Patriots ran out of options at punt returner late in the game against the Jaguars.
The Patriots will need to make a corresponding move. According to the NFL Network, they are releasing running back Kenjon Barner to make room for Jones.
