How a Patriots special teams star turned into an elite slot cornerback

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How a Patriots special teams star turned into an elite slot cornerback

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Wed, Jan 7, 2026 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – Marcus Jones always had eye-opening talent, and it didn’t take an NFL scout to see why. As a rookie, Jones earned first-team All-Pro honors as an electric punt returner.

That first season saw him play in all three phases for the Patriots – offense, defense, and special teams.

This season, however, Jones’ talents have been eye-opening for another reason – his ability as a cornerback. In his fourth NFL season, this 27-year-old emerged as a key piece in Mike Vrabel’s defense and one of the top slot cornerbacks in the league.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Jones told MassLive. “This is my fourth year. You see things differently. Things begin to slow down. And also, this is a new scheme. I play a lot of different (positions) like outside (cornerback), but honing into that slot role is something that I feel has helped me out a lot.”

In coverage, Jones allowed 16 catches on 32 targets this season. He finished the year allowing two catches on four targets for 22 yards in the final seven weeks. Jones wasn’t targeted in five of the team’s final seven matchups.

As Jones noted, when he was drafted, the Patriots had him play more snaps at outside corner. For someone who’s 5-foot-8, Jones had a clear disadvantage against taller outside receivers. As a rookie, Jones played 282 snaps on the outside compared to 59 in the slot. After missing most of his second season due to injury, he split his time between the slot (279) and outside cornerback (216) last season.

Part of the problem for the Patriots was that Jonathan Jones , an established slot cornerback turned outside defensive back, was still on the roster.

This year, however, Vrabel’s staff had a clear plan in place for their cornerbacks. With Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on the roster, it allowed Jones to focus on the inside cornerback spot. He played a career-high 513 snaps in the slot compared to 51 on the outside.

Of course, he’s still one of the NFL’s best returners. Jones tied for the league lead in punt return touchdowns (2) and finished fourth in punt return yards.

On defense, he also stood out. This season, Jones finished with a career-high 3 interceptions and a team-leading 11 passes defended. He also added a career-best 65 tackles and 2 sacks in 2025.

Now, Jones will go to the playoffs for the first time when the Patriots take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round this Sunday.

“It’s been extremely fun,” Jones said. “We put a lot of hard work and dedication. We have a lot of guys who are dialed in and try to make sure we apply our identity on the field. It’s really something we want to make sure we live by, and every time we touch the field, we want to represent.”

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