FOXBORO — Welcome to the Friday Five!

Each week during the NFL regular season, I will drop five Patriots-related thoughts on Friday to recap the week that was in Foxboro and look ahead to kickoff.

Ready, set, football.

Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones is one of the longest-tenured, most respected veterans remaining in New England.

Yet his days may be numbered.

As a starting-caliber player at a premium position, Jones is a prime candidate to be traded ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 5. This season, Jones has 27 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. He’s started all seven of the Patriots’ games, despite a lingering shoulder injury, and owns the 26th-best coverage grade at Pro Football Focus among corners with at least 100 defensive snaps played.

Having re-signed twice over his career, Jones has been steadfast in his desire to remain in New England. But standing at 1-6 in the first year of a rebuild, the Pats could flip the 31-year-old for a future draft pick. Jones says he isn’t paying any attention to outside speculation.

“People text me, and say stuff. But I’m here. I’m here. I’m here, genuinely,” Jones told the Herald. “And if they decide to move on, that’s outside of my control. I just do what I can, show up every day and work hard.”

Jones said he’s also not worried about the prospect of potentially his last game for the Patriots, who originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Over his career, he won two Super Bowls and reached a third.

“Control what you can control,” he said. “That’s how I get through life.”

The Patriots’ only other notable trade chip figures to be wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Fellow wideout K.J. Osborn and pass rusher Joshua Uche might also draw interest on the open market.

At times, the Patriots’ coaching staff has been slow to make adjustments.

This week, Jerod Mayo didn’t wait until Sunday.

In his weekly Wednesday press conference, Mayo delivered his most Belichickian address yet. From his opening statement on, Mayo remained disciplined and consistent in his messaging. He answered every question related to last weekend’s comments calling the team “soft” by referencing either this Sunday’s game or the Jets, a clear redirect to get the narrative — and his players’ attention — moved forward.

One example:

Q: What are you going to do this week to prevent that from happening again?

Mayo: Look, all the guys understand we’ve had our conversations. It’s on to the Jets, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re just going to go out there and play good football. That’s what we need to do in all three phases of the game.

Asked about Bill Belichick’s comments, Mayo imitated his predecessor by saying his focus is not on outside media noise, but rather the players and coaches inside the building. It was also his shortest Wednesday session to date, with the transcript of all questions and answers falling more than 1,000 words shy of other press conferences earlier this season.

The Patriots’ receivers have more complaints than catches this season.

Enough.

Play better. Catch the ball. Quiet down.

Kayshon Boutte was the latest whiny wideout to step to the podium Wednesday, saying he feels he shouldn’t have to call for the ball like he did last Sunday versus the Jaguars. Granted, he made a great catch on a 31-yarder down the sideline. But when Boutte’s career catches (10) finally double his career healthy scratches (nine), he can talk.

Not now. Ja’Lynn Polk, same deal.

The second-round rookie created a social media firestorm by posting a peace sign followed by an ellipsis last Sunday, when he had two passes hit him in the hands and fall incomplete and later left with a concussion. Following Polk’s comments earlier in the week, you might have though he was concussed when he told MassLive he has the best hands in the NFL — just days after dropping a pass before the game prior against Houston.

But at least Polk knows where to be and what to do. Professional healthy scratch Javon Baker doesn’t even know the playbook well enough, according to his own coaches.

As for Osborn, he opened up Wednesday about his frustration playing for a rebuilding organization that prioritizes playing time for young players.

“It’s extremely difficult. It’s frustrating,” Osborn said. “A lot of that stuff is not in my control… The organization is going to do what’s best for them.”

Here’s the thing: before he was sidelined for Week 6 and two injuries opened the door for him to play last weekend, Osborn ranked dead last in average separation, per Next Gen Stats. Dead last. Right now, he owns the sixth-worst Pro Football Focus grade versus man-to-man coverage among wide receivers.

The only NFL receiver worse than Osborn in both metrics: Polk.

What does it say about a group of coaches where in a team meeting their players are called out for being unprofessional?

Nothing good.

While answering a question about whether his receivers are putting enough effort in off the field to be prepared, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt revealed the Pats held such a meeting on Thursday.

“We had a really great team meeting this morning where that was pointed out,” Van Pelt said. “Obviously, at 1-6, it’s not good enough across the board, any of us. So We need to be better. We need to work harder. We need to rehab harder. We have to refresh better. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to spend more time in the room.”

Calling back to an old Belichick staple, I’ll make the same criticism here as I did of Mayo after he called the Patriots soft last weekend: you’re either coaching that lack of professionalism or allowing it to happen.

Bad look.

Of all the Patriots’ problems right now, motivation seems to be chief among them.

Asked Wednesday what he must provide to the team this week as a veteran leader, Hunter Henry said energy. Juice.

Notably, Henry’s comments came three days after Kendrick Bourne called out teammates for their lack of energy in London. 

“There’s certain things we need to figure out that’s within. That’s how the energy feels,” he said. “There’s something else that is contributing to us having low energy. Like, we had good, long drives, and that’s when we need to play our hardest. But with those drives, we start to get tired. There’s self-evaluating we need to do.”