On Thursday, the commencement of the New England Patriots’ joint practice marked the end of a two-day session with the Philadelphia Eagles, where New England’s defense secured seven interceptions across both workouts.
With only one turnover through the first six practices of training camp, veteran safety Kevin Byard challenged the safeties to secure more takeaways, Dell Pettus shared earlier this summer. Just hours later, Pettus came away with the defense’s second interception of the summer.
But now,
the cornerbacks are getting involved.
Nickel cornerback Marcus Jones secured three turnovers throughout the joint sessions, with two on Thursday.
“I feel like we’re always trying to get turnovers,” Jones said after Thursday’s practice. “I’m a hard critic of the [defensive back] room, so I feel like there’s always room for improvement, for sure.“
During the 11-on-11 period, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts targeted wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks toward the sideline, but Jones leapt in front to jump the route, getting his feet down before falling out of bounds.
“I was in front of [Wicks]. [He’s a] great route-runner and everything like that. I kind of felt the pressure of him trying to get back to the sideline and everything, and I made sure to drive toward him a little bit,” Jones said. “And then next, I was like, ‘When the ball is in the air, you have to make a play.’”
The Houston product’s first pick of the day also came against Hurts, plucking a pass out of the air that hit the hands of the opposing running back. He also jumped another Hurts sideline throw on Wednesday in seven-on-seven drills, returning the turnover for a hypothetical pick-six.
A common session in both practices was a series of two- and one-minute drills under pressure. Cornerback Kindle Vildor prematurely ended a Tanner McKee two-minute drive on Wednesday, intercepting a sideline pass intended for a comeback route.
“I feel like every time we get on the field, we’re trying to be aggressive,” Jones added. “[The] only way you can make turnovers is by being aggressive and violent, which we always talk about. And then always make the plays that you need to make.”
Competition has been a common theme for improvement this offseason with this Patriots roster, a culture instilled by head coach Mike Vrabel.
Jones described the team as competitive, and because they know the Eagles carry themselves the same way, their “big thing” is bringing energy to the turf.
Additionally, that same on-field intensity is channeled toward the group’s goal for 2026 to become the No.1 scoring defense in the NFL.
“Oh, man, [confidence] is at an all-time high,” Jones continued. “We know when it comes down to it, we want to be the number one scoring defense. And when it comes down to that, you know, it’s everyone on the back end making plays. So us as [defensive backs], we understand that. And whenever we do make turnovers, man, as you can tell, we’re trying to score with the ball. We don’t get too many opportunities like that, so we have to take advantage of it.”
Following the seven-interception performance, Jones believes it heavily impacts the unit’s confidence approaching 2026. He explained that as a defensive back, you need to have the confidence to know when to break on the ball and how to go get it.
They’ll have another chance on Saturday to continue generating turnovers in New England’s preseason game against Philadelphia at Gillette Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.
