Jack Jones had a strange day at Patriots practice Thursday. He was among the last to hit the practice field at the start of the session. Then, midway through the proceedings, he helped break up a pass along the sideline to Kendrick Bourne.
But something was off.
Jones wasn't happy after the fact. He appeared to have a conversation with cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino as he walked along the sidelines. Later, fellow corner Shaun Wade appeared to try to keep Jones on the field with his teammates. Jones shrugged him off and walked in the direction of the Patriots locker room. Then veteran Jabrill Peppers ran up to Jones, threw his arm around Jones' shoulder, and chatted with the second-year defensive back.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Eventually Jones walked off the field and disappeared for about 20 minutes. When he reemerged, he got to the sidelines and chatted with director of player personnel Matt Groh. Later, veteran defensive back Jalen Mills had a somewhat animated conversation with Jones for several minutes. Jones never got off the sideline, stayed on the field for the cool-down period with teammates, signed a few autographs and left the field.
🔊 Patriots Talk: Jack Jones makes an unplanned exit from Patriots practice | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Pellegrino was asked Friday what happened with Jones.
"Yeah, it was a great play," Pellegrino said of the pass play Jones helped break up to Bourne. "We had a conversation, and that conversation is personal. You know, we're moving onto Training Camp (Practice No.) 9, and watching him grow as each day goes forward."
The Patriots are sticking by Jones, that much is clear. Even after his arrest at Logan Airport earlier this offseason. As Jones awaits trial on Aug. 18 for multiple gun-related charges, he's been practicing with the first or second-team defense consistently. He had a difficult practice on Wednesday -- Bourne beat him easily in one-on-one periods, and he helped allow a long catch to Tre Nixon -- and his frustration was apparent the following day.
"We've all been through things before," Jerod Mayo said. "One thing about this beautiful game is once you cross the white lines, nothing else really matters. Once you get around the guys in the locker room or the weight room, nothing else really matters. That's what he's focused on now. He's focused on moving forward."
And the Patriots are moving forward with him. In part, it's safe to assume, because his talent level warrants patience. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and displayed excellent ball skills in college, both at USC and Arizona State. He made plays on the football as a rookie as well, none more prominent than his pick-six of Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field in Week 4.
How the Patriots handle Jones moving forward, in light of Thursday's boiling-over, will be interesting to track. Because without Jones -- who finished last season suspended by Bill Belichick -- they're thin along the boundary at cornerback.
Rookie Christian Gonzalez has played with the starters throughout training camp. Jonathan Jones has shown he has the ability to play outside if necessary, but his best spot is probably in the slot.
MORE PATRIOTS CAMP COVERAGE
With Jack Jones unavailable in Thursday's practice, seventh-round rookie out of Jackson State Isaiah Bolden saw reps on the boundary with the top defense. While that's a good sign for Bolden, who has performed well in stretches this summer and picked off third-string quarterback Trace McSorley on Wednesday, using Bolden on the outside is an option the Patriots might want to try to avoid early in his rookie season.
Despite Thursday's incident, Jones is important to what the Patriots are trying to do on the field. And it sounds like there are no plans to move on from him any time soon.
But it's worth wondering at what point Belichick might say to himself that the juice is no longer worth the squeeze for a player who has provided multiple reminders of his unreliability since being drafted.