Patriots Cut Former Second-Round Pick Cyrus Jones
BOSTON (CBS) -- Cyrus Jones' career in New England is over.
Related: Follow All Patriots Cutdown Day Moves
The Patriots reportedly cut the third-year cornerback/return man Saturday as part of their deadline day roster trimming. Teams throughout the NFL have until 4 p.m. Saturday to get down to the league-mandated 53 players on their roster.
Jeff Howe of the Athletic was the first to report Jones' release.
Jones will likely go down as one of Bill Belichick's biggest draft misses during his Hall of Fame career with the Patriots. He was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2016, drafted 60th overall following a successful career at Alabama as a dynamic return man and a skilled corner. But he struggled on both fronts in the NFL, battling fumbling issues during his rookie season. Jones appeared in 10 games and returned 11 punts and eight kickoffs during his rookie campaign, averaging 22.5 yards on his kickoff returns. He finished with just seven combined tackles as a rookie.
Jones was looking to shake off those struggles and make a bigger impact in his second NFL season in 2017, but missed all of the regular season after tearing his ACL in New England's final game of the preseason. He was back to returning kicks this preseason and spent time as New England's nickle corner as well.
