Patriots

Patriots rule out Jonathan Jones and Nelson Agholor, but not Mac Jones vs. Browns

A pair of key Patriots players still have a chance to play on Sunday.

Mac Jones and Nelson Agholor are both dealing with injuries. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

October 15, 2022

A day prior to their Week 6 matchup against the Browns, the Patriots ruled out a pair of key players who were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, but they didn’t rule out two of their most important players, either.

Starting corner Jonathan Jones (ankle) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (hamstring) were both ruled out for Sunday’s game.

Starting quarterback Mac Jones and running back Damien Harris weren’t, though. In fact, Jones made the trip to Cleveland as the Patriots are indicating that he could still play, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported.

After missing the last two games due to a high ankle sprain, Jones was limited at all three practices this week. He appeared to be moving better though in the media availability portion of practice and was wearing his knee brace and playcalling sheet on his wrist, a sign that he was ramping up his workload.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick shared that Jones’ health was improving on Friday, though he wasn’t sure if he’d be ready to play on Sunday.

“Saturday is an important day in this whole process,” Belichick said. “I know everybody wants a definite answer, but it’s just totally unrealistic to be able to do that. We don’t know how a player is going to feel after three days of practice, depending on what the volume is or the intensity is. That’s impossible to know that until you actually experience it, or he experiences it. So we’ll see.”

If Jones does play Sunday, he would be dealing with some instability with his ankle if he plays, but it could be managed in a variety of ways, the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported Tuesday. The swelling in Jones’s ankle has decreased, Giardi added.

As for Harris, it was originally reported that he could miss multiple games due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the first quarter of the Patriots’ Week 5 win against the Lions. However, he was on the practice field this week and was limited on all three days.

Jonathan Jones has been one of the early surprises of the season for the Patriots. He ranked as Pro Football Focus’ top corner through the first three weeks of the season as he began playing outside corner for the first time on a regular basis in his career.

Agholor had his best game as a Patriot in Week 2, catching six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Steelers. He’s struggled in recent weeks though, losing a crucial fumble in Week 3 against the Ravens and dropping a pass that resulted in an interception in Week 5.

Linebacker Josh Uche (hamstring) was the only Patriots player to be ruled out for Sunday’s game on Friday. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore (knee), defensive lineman Lawrence Guy (shoulder), linebacker Raekwon McMillan (thumb), wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee), and tight end Jonnu Smith (ankle) are all listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

As for the Browns, they’ve ruled out defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (ankle, knee, elbow) and cornerback Denzel Ward (concussion).