FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed DB Cyrus Jones to the 53-man roster from the Baltimore practice squad. Terms of the contract were not announced. In addition, the Patriots released RB Kenjon Barner.
Jones, 24, was originally drafted by New England in the second round (60th overall) out of Alabama in the 2016 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder played in 10 games with one start as a rookie in 2016 and finished with seven tackles on defense. Jones also returned 11 punts for 46 yards. He missed the entire 2017 season after being placed on injured reserve following an injury suffered in the preseason. Jones was released by the Patriots at the end of training camp this year and joined the Baltimore practice squad on September 3.
Barner, 29, was signed by the Patriots on Sept. 11, 2018. The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder, was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round (182nd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oregon. Barner was most recently with the Carolina Panthers through training camp this summer and has also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. He has appeared in 44 regular-season games with one start and totaled 77 rushing attempts for 317 yards with three touchdowns and 21 receptions for 127 yards. Barner has also returned 30 punts for 259 yards and 22 kickoffs for 498 yards. He has appeared in four postseason contests as a reserve and tallied one punt return for 10 yards and five kickoffs for 115 yards.
