"Why now?" - Colin Cowherd questions Bill Belichick's decision to boot Jack Jones
The New England Patriots are rumored to make big changes during their bye week following their embarrassing 10-6 loss to the Anthony Richardson-less Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Sunday. But the team's first move since returning back home came as a surprise to many.
The Patriots waived their 2022 fourth-round pick Jack Jones just a week after he featured heavily during their loss to the Washington Commanders. The cornerback played only 10 snaps in Germany and was subsequently cut.
NFL analyst Colin Cowherd was flabbergasted by the Patriots' decision to dump Jones. On the latest episode of "The Herd", he questioned:
"Why would you waive Jack Jones now? He's been immature since high school and college. Why now? You're sort of short-handed at corner, are you not? And the Patriots' next game is the strangest Game of the Year, Week 11 against New York Giants. Where the loser is the winner. Bailey Zappe gets named starter or maybe you're worse off with Mac. Now you're down Jack Jones."
Cowherd also provided a concerning update about the Patriots' defensive backs situation:
"I've been told by a source, that J.C. Jackson will not play, Christian Gonzalez is already out."
Gonzalez, the Patriots' top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is out for the season with a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder. J.C. Jackson, who missed the team's trip to Germany with an undisclosed issue, was expected to be available after the bye, but his availability is uncertain, per Cowherd.
Why did the Patriots waive Jack Jones?
In June, Patriots cornerback Jack Jones was arrested for carrying two loaded guns onto Boston's Logan Airport. He was slapped with nine charges but managed to have them dropped after agreeing to serve one year of pretrial probation and 48 hours of community service. His legal issues kept him away from the team for the first six weeks of the season.
However, the gun charges reportedly were not the reason for Jones' surprise departure from the team. Per Boston Globe's Ben Violin, the cornerback's disciplinary issues irked the Patriots' top brass, who decided to move on from the second-year star.
Jones reported late to the team hotel before the Patriots' game against the Commanders, and while he had his biggest workload of the season in that loss, he was punished during the team's loss to the Colts in Frankfurt, Germany, and was cut the following day.
The Patriots' tumultuous season continues to go downhill with every passing game.