Jonathan Jones Trade? Four Teams Who Could Target Patriots Corner

The New England Patriots already sold off one piece earlier this week when they dealt Joshua Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs.

And the Patriots are in the position to offload more players by the time the NFL trade deadline comes around on Nov. 5.

Jonathan Jones would be a prime candidate to be sent elsewhere. The 31-year-old cornerback is in the final year of his contract, giving the Patriots the chance to get something in return for Jones before he possibly departs in free agency.

Jones, who racked up three passes defended and 28 tackles in eight games this season, might not be in his prime anymore, but still has much to offer. A contender with championship aspirations would love the veteran’s experience in its secondary since he’s a two-time Super Bowl champion. And any suspect passing defense certainly could use Jones to shore up that area of its team.

Here are four teams that could target Jones ahead of the trade deadline:

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals’ postseason outlook isn’t great after going 3-5 through eight weeks. But if Cincinnati wanted to make a playoff push, Jones would help. The Bengals allow the ninth-most yards per game in the league and Jones surely would bolster their secondary, which features Cam Taylor-Britt as the top cornerback. The only issue with the Bengals adding Jones is it would be a redundancy for them since they already have Mike Hilton.

But depth in the secondary can be key. They still have two games remaining against the Pittsburgh Steelers and one against the Baltimore Ravens. Those divisional contests will be importance for Cincinnati trying to stay in the playoff hunt.

Washington Commanders
There wasn’t much expected of the Commanders entering this season. But Jayden Daniels and his epic Hail Mary has Washington believing this could be a magical season. The Commanders’ defense has surprised with its solid play but could use some improving, which is where Jones would come in.

Jones would be an upgrade over nickel cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and provide insurance if Mike Sainristil hits the rookie wall. Jones just might be the missing piece for the Commanders in their pursuit of an NFC East title and more.

Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are tied for the top spot in the NFC West at 4-4 despite poor defensive play. Arizona is sixth-worst in the NFL in yards allowed at 376.5 yards per game. That’s not a great recipe for the Cardinals to lean on if they want to make the postseason.

Arizona has already been a refuge for Patriots castoffs — see Chad Ryland, who has hit two straight game-winning field goals — making the Cardinals a landing spot for Jones. There’s also the Monti Ossenfort connection. Ossenfort spent 15 years in various scouting roles with New England and was with the franchise when it signed Jones as an undrafted free agent. He has terrific knowledge of the value Jones can bring to a defense and could look to bring him to the Cardinals.

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens acquired another toy for superstar Lamar Jackson this week, but what they really need is help in the secondary. Baltimore surrenders a league-worst 291.4 yards per game through the air and gave up an eye-popping 334 yards passing and three touchdowns to Jameis Winston in Week 8, albeit with the Ravens banged up in the secondary.

Jones wouldn’t be a complete solution to Baltimore’s defensive woes, but he could certainly get them going in the right direction and give the Ravens some depth. The Ravens need to have their team ready to play against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, and acquiring Jones would give them a better chance at dethroning the two-time defending champs.