FOXBORO — Patriots rookie cornerback Alex Austin starting in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs is a great example of how sometimes the best-laid plans go awry.
Austin was thrust into a surprise starting role Sunday when J.C. Jackson was active but didn’t appear on the Patriots’ sideline during the game. His agent, Neil Schwartz, told ESPN that Jackson is dealing with mental health issues. The cornerback was placed on the non-football illness list Tuesday.
The Patriots kept seven cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster, and Austin and Jackson weren’t even included in the group. Yet, Austin was starting across from Jonathan Jones on the first snap of Sunday’s game against the best quarterback in the NFL.
“I think it’s always tough having new guys roll through and not necessarily figure out what they do best but trying to help them with their skillset and try to put them in the best position to do it,” cornerback Myles Bryant said Wednesday about the turnover at cornerback. “It’s been tough, but at the same time it’s been good. I think we’ve had a good group of guys that come in. They’re willing to learn from Coach Mike (Pellegrino) and vets. … I think it’s kind of shown in the past few weeks with guys stepping up and being able to fill in those voids.”
Only three of those original seven players remain on the team’s 53-man roster. Christian Gonzalez was placed on injured reserve after Week 4 with a season-ending shoulder injury. Marcus Jones is also on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Rookie Ameer Speed was waived and claimed by the Colts. And Jack Jones was waived and claimed by the Raiders.
That leaves Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade among the original seven cornerbacks. The team added Jackson in a trade with the Chargers, with whom he had worn out his welcome in just over 18 months, in October. Austin, who the Bills selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, joined the team after being cut from the Texans’ practice squad in November. He made his Patriots debut in Week 14.
“It’s part of it, but just fight for consistency,” Jonathan Jones said Wednesday of the difficulties that so many moving pieces present at cornerback. “Injuries are a part of it, trades, whatever the situation may be. That’s a part of it. You just try to stay consistent.”
Jonathan Jones has dealt with ankle and knee injuries and missed three games earlier this summer. Wade was a healthy scratch Sunday since the Patriots expected Jackson to play as of 11:30 a.m. ET.
Bryant, who’s the team’s primary slot cornerback but has also manned roles outside, at safety and on special teams, is the only cornerback on the roster to have played every game.
“He’s been valuable every year,” head coach Bill Belichick said of Bryant on Wednesday morning. “Returning punts. Playing in the kicking game. Playing outside. Playing inside. Same thing last year. He’s one of our most versatile players and he’s able to handle a lot of different responsibilities. He’s had to and he’s done a good job.”
The 5-foot-9, 192-pound defender has earned a career-high PFF grade this season. He’s also played the most snaps of his career while allowing 52 catches on 64 targets for 519 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The cornerback, who’s much-maligned on social media by subsets of Patriots fans, leads the team with two forced fumbles and four pass breakups. He’s PFF’s highest-graded cornerback as a run defender.
The Patriots’ defense ranks 14th in expected points added (EPA) per play against this season. They’re 21st in dropback EPA per play. While obviously, that doesn’t look great in a vacuum, it is much more impressive when considering they’re down four cornerbacks and their best overall defensive player in Matthew Judon, who’s also on injured reserve with a torn biceps.
On paper, the Patriots’ best cornerback combination this season would have been Gonzalez and Jack Jones on the outside and Jonathan Jones in the slot. But that trio never played together this season. Jack Jones began the year on injured reserve and didn’t return until Gonzalez was already hurt.
Off-field issues finally caused the Patriots to part ways with Jones, who was arrested in the offseason on gun charges and benched for missing curfew at the team hotel prior to Week 9. He failed to improve his attitude in the Patriots’ trip to Germany in Week 10, per a source, and was cut after the game.
All of that had led Jonathan Jones to continue playing outside this season. He ranks 30th out of 129 qualified cornerbacks with a 72.1 PFF grade — his highest mark since 2020.
The Patriots will head into Denver with Jonathan Jones, Bryant, Austin and Wade as the only cornerbacks on their 53-man roster. They have additional depth via their practice squad in Breon Borders, Azizi Hearn and William Hooper.
The Patriots kept insurance as they headed into the season. There was no real certainty regarding Jack Jones’ status, and Gonzalez was still an unknown commodity despite the team using a first-round pick on him. Gonzalez wound up being fantastic through four games before going down for the season. And despite playing it safe, injuries still plagued the Patriots at cornerback in 2023.