FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Jones returns: As a rookie in 2022, Marcus Jones was named The Associated Press first-team All-Pro punt returner after showing he was one of the NFL's most dynamic players with a football in his grasp.
He had 29 punt returns for 362 yards (12.5 avg.), which included an 84-yard touchdown, and returned 27 kickoffs for 645 yards (with a long of 46 yards).
Now, as Jones hopes to recapture that form after sustaining a season-ending torn labrum in the second week of the 2023 season, he returns to a significantly changed NFL landscape for returners.