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Patriots just locked up rising defensive star long before rivals had a chance

The Patriots' secondary was expected to be of particular interest this season for a few reasons, the most notable of which was the hopeful return of Christian Gonzalez after suffering an offseason injury. Beyond that, seeing what he could accomplish with newly signed free agent Carlton Davis III and the rest of the secondary, including Marcus Jones, made it seem like Mike Vrabel and Co. built a dominant cornerback group once again.

That has come to fruition through the first eight games, and the most surprising of all has been the rise of Jones into superstardom. We already knew just how valuable he was to the team in all three phases of the game, but he has spent the most time this year as a cornerback, and rightfully so.