"A lot of that revolved around the return of special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, who had a standout first year in New England in 2024. That is why Vrabel chose to keep him on the staff, and although it has taken the group a bit to warm up this year, we finally saw Springer's influence with Marcus Jones' performance against the Panthers."
"Not only did the triple-threat player return a punt for a touchdown, but he also almost did it again on the following return, recording 167 return yards for the game and hopefully becoming the official punt returner moving forward. The Patriots might have finally returned to their dominant special teams production of years past Jones' performance set a franchise record for the most punt return yards in a single game, solidifying himself in Patriots history for a long time."
Mike Vrabel retained Jeremy Springer as special teams coordinator after Springer's standout 2024 season, and special teams interest grew following a strong preseason. Springer's influence was evident when Marcus Jones returned a punt for a touchdown and nearly repeated on the next return, totaling 167 punt return yards. Jones' performance set a franchise record for single-game punt return yards and positioned him as a legitimate, long-term return threat. Jones has served as cornerback, wide receiver, and returner since being drafted in 2022, providing versatile roster value. Jones' usage in the secondary has decreased with Christian Gonzalez's return and Carlton Davis III's addition.
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