New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones, left, injures his shoulder while making a tackle on Miami wide receiver Jaylen Waddle during Sunday’s game in Foxborough, Mass. Steven Senne/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots placed All-Pro punt returner Marcus Jones on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed Will Grier to their 53-man roster for use as their third emergency quarterback against the New York Jets, Coach Bill Belichick said Friday.
Grier was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. Belichick didn’t say whether it would be a short-term or season-ending stay on IR for Jones.
“It’s unfortunate. Obviously had a really good rookie year. Explosive player,” Belichick said. “He’s on IR for right now, so he’ll be out for a while.”
Jones was injured in the loss to Miami last week. In addition to playing cornerback, he served as New England’s punt and kick returner on special teams, and appeared in some limited offensive sets.
He was named a first-team AP All-Pro punt returner as a rookie in 2022, finishing second in the NFL with a 12.5 yards per return average. It included a game-winning 84-yard punt return in New England’s second meeting against the Jets last season.
Jones also had an interception return for a score against Cincinnati and a 48-yard touchdown reception against Buffalo.
The Patriots signed and then released quarterback Ian Book earlier in the week and also cut ties with Matt Corral after he was briefly placed on the exempt list. Belichick said those decisions provided a need for support behind starting quarterback Mac Jones and backup Bailey Zappe.
“Felt like we need depth at that position,” Belichick said. “Two quarterbacks. Long year.”
Grier is someone the Patriots have tracked since he was taken as a third-round pick out of West Virginia by the Carolina Panthers in the 2019 draft. He was with the Panthers for two seasons and started the final two games of the 2019 season, completing 28 of 52 passes for 228 yards.
He was waived and signed first by Dallas, then cut again and signed to the Bengals’ practice squad in August.
n Starting left tackle Trent Brown cleared the concussion protocol and was removed from the injury report; he’ll be good to go on Sunday for the Patriots against the Jets. Brown missed last week’s game against the Dolphins and the offensive line struggled mightily to keep Mac Jones upright.
The Pats removed Brown and wide receiver DeVante Parker from their final injury report Friday.
CHARGERS: Los Angeles will be without running back Austin Ekeler on Sunday when they play at Minnesota because of an ankle injury.
Ekeler was hurt in a season-opening loss to Miami and missed the Chargers’ Week 2 defeat at Tennessee. In his absence, Joshua Kelley will take over the No. 1 running back spot.
DOLPHINS: Miami wide receiver Jaylen Waddle remained in concussion protocol Friday but has not been ruled out by Coach Mike McDaniel ahead of Sunday’s home opener against the Denver Broncos.
Waddle will officially be listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. He has advanced to the point of limited practice participation and was spotted in a red, non-contact jersey during a media viewing period Friday. He entered concussion protocol due to a hit to the head he took in last Sunday night’s 24-17 win at the New England Patriots.
RAVENS: Through the first two games of the season, no NFL team has lost more players to injury than the Ravens. That trend will continue this week.
Baltimore will be without seven players for its Week 3 game Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium. Most notable among them are wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., running back Justice Hill and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh.
Beckham and Oweh suffered ankle injuries in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, while Hill suffered a turf toe injury in the game. None of the three participated in practice this week. Beckham has dealt with ankle issues throughout his career after fracturing it in 2017 and undergoing season-ending surgery.
Also out are safety Marcus Williams (pectoral), center Tyler Linderbaum (ankle) and tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee).
49ERS: San Francisco gave Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch multiyear contract extensions on Friday.
The duo joined the 49ers together in 2017 and by their third season built up a team that had won just two games the year before they arrived into a consistent contender.
The Niners made it to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season before losing to Kansas City, and the NFC title game in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022. San Francisco is off to a 3-0 start this season after beating the New York Giants 30-12 on Thursday night for their second 3-0 start in the past 25 seasons.
FALCONS: After practicing all week, Atlanta cornerback Jeff Okudah could make his Falcons debut against his former team Sunday.
Okudah was listed as questionable on the final injury report from the Falcons (2-0), who travel to Detroit to meet the Lions.
Okudah was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Lions, but injuries and other issues limited his effectiveness. He was dealt to the Falcons during the offseason for a fifth-round pick. A right foot injury sustained in training camp kept Okudah from playing in the first two games.
PANTHERS: Carolina officially ruled out rookie quarterback Bryce Young for Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks and veteran backup Andy Dalton will start in his place.
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