Two Iron Bowl cornerbacks will begin the New England Patriots' training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list. Cyrus Jones from Alabama and Jonathan Jones of Auburn won't be able to practice until they're taken off the PUP list.
New England's veteran players are reporting to training camp on Wednesday and begin practice on Thursday.
Cyrus Jones suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Aug. 31 in the Patriots' final 2017 preseason game and missed the entire season.
Jonathan Jones suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of New England's 35-14 playoff victory over the Tennessee Titans last season and missed the Patriots' AFC championship game victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cyrus Jones joined the Patriots as a second-round pick (and New England's first selection) in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jones played in 10 of New England's 16 regular-season games, with one start, as a rookie. He didn't play in the Patriots' three playoff games as New England won Super Bowl LI. Jones was on the field for 147 defensive snaps in 2016.
Jones also returned 11 punts for a 4.2-yard average and eight kickoffs for a 22.5-yard average in 2016. He had five fumbles and muffs on the 19 returns.
Jonathan Jones earned a spot on the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and, until his injury, had not missed a game, playing in 32 regular-season and four postseason contests.
During the 2017 regular season, Jones was on the field for 289 special-teams plays, the second-most on New England, and 439 defensive snaps. He saw regular playing time in the Patriots' secondary when Eric Rowe and Stephon Gilmore were injured, but their return to health curtailed his time on defense in the final weeks of the season.
Jones had two particularly dramatic defensive plays last season. In New England's 19-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 5, Jones knocked down a pass in the end zone on the final play of the game. In the Patriots' 21-13 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 29, Jones intercepted a pass at the New England 1-yard line on the Chargers' final snap of the game.
As a rookie, Jones had been on the field for 307 special-teams plays and 64 defensive snaps.
The Patriots will open training camp without the two cornerback candidates as they try to replace Malcolm Butler, the unlikely hero of New England's Super Bowl XLIX victory who mysteriously played all of one special-teams snap in its Super Bowl LII loss in February.
In between, the former West Alabama standout hardly came off the field for the New England defense, playing more than 1,000 defensive snaps in three consecutive seasons. Butler left the Patriots in free agency in March for a five-year, $61.25 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
The Patriots have Gilmore and Rowe returning for the 2018 season and used a second-round draft pick on Florida cornerback Duke Dawson in April. In addition to Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones, New England has six other cornerbacks vying for the two or three regular-season roster spots available at the position.
Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones are on the active PUP list, which allows them to return to practice as soon as the team says they can. There's also a reserve/PUP, which sidelines players for the first six weeks of the season.
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NFL players coming off injuries are often put on the PUP list for the start of training camp even if they're almost ready to practice because a player who practices in training camp, no matter how short the duration, cannot be placed on the active/PUP list.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
from Auburn Sports Impact http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/07/cyrus_jones_jonathan_jones_ope.html
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