Patriots Claim S Don Jones Off Waivers from Dolphins

The New England Patriots announced a minor roster transaction yesterday, claiming second year safety Don Jones off of waivers from the Dolphins. To make room for Jones, the Patriots released offensive lineman Chris Barker (who they coincidentally signed off waivers from Miami on the same day a year ago).

Jones, 24, played in all 16 games for the Dolphins as a rookie after being drafted in the seventh round out of Arkansas State in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was a core special teams player for them a year ago - recording 11 tackles on coverage units.

Of course, the Patriots are playing the Dolphins this Sunday, which means the Patriots could get some intel from Jones as well. It's a practice that more and more teams are doing (the Jets in particular), but as we saw with Deion Branch and the Colts during the playoffs, it rarely makes a huge impact.

At 5'11" and 205 lbs, Jones' primary fit would come as a safety, but he's also played the cornerback position in a pinch. With Duron Harmon and Tavon Wilson being two other young players at the position on the roster, Jones probably won't see time with the regular defense early on. However, he could be an immediate member of the active game day roster due to his ability to contribute on special teams.