Patriots place Jonathan Jones on IR, don't activate Malcolm Mitchell

FOXBORO — The Patriots announced a series of moves Wednesday.

Jonathan Jones, who was injured during the Patriots win over Tennessee Saturday night, was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The second-year defensive back from Auburn played a key role on special teams. 

When asked how the Patriots might replace Jones, special teams captain Matthew Slater said, "Well, it's not going to be one guy. He does a lot of things for us and he does a lot of things well. And he's done that since he's gotten here – he's been consistent. He's improved day after day. It's going to take a lot of guys stepping up, doing their job just a little bit better. A few guys in different roles. You don't replace him with one guy."

To fill the roster spot, Bernard Reedy was signed to the team. Reedy is a wide receiver and punt returner was originally signed by New England to the practice squad on Nov. 22, 2017. He was elevated to the 53-man roster on December 2, before being released on December 13, and re-signed to the practice squad on December 19. Reedy was released from the practice squad on January 3.

Also, the deadline passed to activate wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell to the active roster. Mitchell was originally placed on the injured reserve list with a designation to return before the season opener. He recently practiced with the team, but didn't progress enough to warrant activation before the AFC Championship Game.

Mitchell proved to be a valuable target for Tom Brady in 2017, most notably in the Super Bowl win over Atlanta, where he caught six passes for 70 yards.

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