FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones didn't practice on Thursday because of an illness, according to the team.
Jones' illness currently isn't expected to impact his availability for Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to sources.
But it also isn't ideal on a day the Patriots generally work on third-down situations, among other things. Veteran Brian Hoyer and rookie Bailey Zappe were the lone quarterbacks at Thursday's practice.
Jones' illness adds another layer to an eventful week for the second-year quarterback, who injured his back in Sunday's season-opening loss and underwent X-rays shortly thereafter, which led to the cancellation of his postgame news conference.