Cyrus Jones returns for his second act in Foxborough

FOXBOROUGH — Cyrus Jones was a little surprised when he got the call … and the Patriots were on the other end of the line.


The cornerback and returner, who was a second-round pick of New England in 2016, was let got at the end of training camp this summer. But after a brief stint on the Baltimore practice squad earlier this month, he was re-signed by the Patriots earlier this week.

“To be back here this quick is mind-blowing,” Jones said after practice on Thursday. “When it happened, it was mind-blowing. But I’ve adjusted back just fine just like I never left. So, it’s been good.”

Jones’ primary role — at least in the short-term — will be as a punt returner. The Alabama product, who was an electric special-teamer in college, struggled as a returner as a rookie with four fumbles. However, he steadied himself this summer, and appeared to be on the right track at the end of the preseason.

This summer, he talked about the confidence level needed to be a successful returner. On Thursday, he sounded confident about where he was at this stage of his career.

“I was comfortable when I left, so I’m comfortable now,” Jones said with a shrug.

One other intriguing thing about Jones? It looked like he took some snaps at safety in the brief practice peek that was afforded to the media on Thursday. That would be a change from his previous position of cornerback, and might provide a boost for his defensive fortunes down the road.

“Yeah, I got out there a little bit at safety, just because we’re short right now,” Jones said, referencing Sunday’s injury to veteran Patrick Chung. “I’m not really sure what coaches want to do with that. But whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to try to do it to the best of my ability.

“I’m just going do what the coaches ask, work hard, study hard and try to go out there and perform at a high level on Sunday.”