The New England Patriots placed cornerback Marcus Jones on injured reserve Friday with a torn labrum.
The second-year standout sustained the shoulder injury during the Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Jones will miss at least the next four games, starting with Sunday’s contest between the Patriots (0-2) and host New York Jets (1-1) in East Rutherford, N.J.
“He’s on IR for right now. He’ll be out for a while,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s unfortunate. He had a really good rookie year. Explosive player.”
Also on Friday, the Patriots signed quarterback Will Grier to their 53-man roster from the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad.
Jones, 24, posted five tackles and one fumble recovery in the first two games. He also returned three punts for 21 yards.
The 2022 third-round pick earned first-team All-Pro honors as a return specialist in his rookie season, leading the NFL with 12.5 yards per punt return, including an 84-yard touchdown to beat the Jets in Week 11.
Jones also averaged 23.9 yards per kickoff return and recorded 39 tackles and two interceptions (one pick-six) in 15 games (four starts) last season.
Grier, 28, was released by Dallas on Aug. 29 after the Cowboys acquired quarterback Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers.
“We want to work with him,” Belichick said of Grier, who joins Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe in the quarterback room. “We feel like we need depth at that position — (had) two quarterbacks (and it’s a) long year.”
Grier was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He completed 28 of 52 passes for 228 yards with four interceptions in two games with the Panthers during his rookie season.
–Field Level Media
