Cyrus Jones' Struggles Symbolic Of Patriots' Drafting Downturn On Defense
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- One of the most unexpected and disconcerting problems permeating the 2016 Patriots has been the struggles of the secondary. Considered a strength of the defense entering the season after a strong performance in 2015, the group has dropped off in 2016 and was badly exposed last Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks. Beyond Malcolm Butler and, to an extent, Devin McCourty, the Patriots' defensive backs have been inconsistent at best, and woefully unimpressive at worst.
At the heart of the sudden lack of depth and talent in the secondary is rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama that should have been expected to make meaningful early contributions to the defense and special teams. Instead, Jones has made glaring mistakes at an alarming rate, mostly coming on returns.
For what was supposed to be Jones' strength, the rookie's return game has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Jones has made just 11 total kick and punt returns and fumbled on three of them. And when he hasn't fumbled, he's made poor decisions with the football in his hands, most notably when he set a poor tone at the start of the Patriots' 16-0 loss in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills.
When peppered with questions about his problems with fumbling and decision-making, which led to him becoming a healthy scratch from Weeks 6-8, Jones said it's not a matter of losing confidence in himself.
"It was really tough [to sit for three games]," said Jones. "I'm a highly competitive person. I've got a lot of confidence in what I can do. It's tough just not being out there with your team or doing anything to help a team win.
"At the end of the day, I've just got to put my pride to the side and continue to work hard and wait until I get my next opportunity."
The blame for the drop-off in secondary play cannot fall entirely on the shoulders of Jones, who has only played 54 coverage snaps on the season, according to Pro Football Focus. Logan Ryan has not performed at the same level as 2015, with a dismal 49.5 overall grade from PFF, and Justin Coleman has not been able to consistently find his way into the lineup. Coleman was particularly picked on by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks last Sunday night, while trade acquisition Eric Rowe has given minimal contributions outside of a handful of plays against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.
Jones is, unfortunately for him, emblematic of the Patriots' subpar drafting on defense in recent years. While he still has plenty of time to pan out in future seasons, it's becoming clearer by the week that he's not going to contribute in a positive way in 2016. He almost certainly won't make the kind of immediate impact that you'd expect from a second-round pick.
Defensive tackle Dominique Easley, a first-round pick in 2014, was an utter bust in New England and is currently languishing in Los Angeles. As for 2015, first-rounder Malcom Brown still has time to develop but has not taken the year-two leap many were expecting or hoping for. Second-rounder Jordan Richards, meanwhile, has played only 11 defensive snaps in 2016 and has yet to contribute beyond a marginal special teams role. Fourth-rounder Trey Flowers had perhaps the best game of his young career on Sunday against Seattle, but has yet to show any kind of consistency. Third-rounder Geneo Grissom was cut before the 2016 season before being added to the practice squad then signed to the active roster, and can barely get on the field.
Not only has Bill Belichick subtracted true impact players from his defense in Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, he has yet to find viable replacements for them while delivering what appears to be a spotty draft record in the past three seasons. While it's still too early to judge how good Cyrus Jones, Malcom Brown, and Trey Flowers will be on this defense in the long run, it doesn't appear that they will do enough to help the 2016 edition of the defense, which feels more like it's on a downturn than an upswing.
The Patriots are running out of time to take the defense to another level this year. And if Jones, Brown, Flowers, and others don't take that next step individually - and the Patriots' recent drafting continues to be spotty at best - the group could be in trouble for years to come.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
