Patriots' Marcus Jones Placed on IR with Shoulder Injury; QB Will Grier Promoted

After suffering a shoulder injury during Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones has landed on injured reserve.

The Patriots announced the move on Friday. They also signed quarterback Will Grier from the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad to take Jones' spot on the 53-man roster.

The addition of Grier gives the Patriots three quarterbacks on their roster. Mac Jones is the starter, with Bailey Zappe as the No. 2.

Grier had a terrific preseason with the Dallas Cowboys. He completed 64 of 84 attempts for 640 yards and four touchdowns in three games. Cincinnati signed the 28-year-old to its practice squad on Aug. 30.

Jones suffered the injury in the second quarter while attempting to tackle Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

The Patriots haven't officially announced what the specific injury is, but ESPN's Mike Reiss reported it's a torn labrum.

"It's unfortunate," head coach Bill Belichick told reporters on Friday. "I would say he had a really good rookie year. Explosive player."

When asked if Jones is going to be out for the season, Belichick was, unsurprisingly, not very forthcoming: "He's on IR for right now, so he'll be out for a while."

An IR stint means Jones will miss a minimum of four games. The earliest he would be eligible to return is Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills.

Jalen Mills, who has played safety in the first two games of the season, could shift to cornerback with Jones unavailable. Mills started 26 games at the position for the Patriots in the previous two seasons.

A third-round draft pick in 2022, Jones had a solid rookie season. He had seven pass breakups and two interceptions on defense and led the NFL with 362 yards and 12.5 yards per return as a punt-return specialist.

Jones has five combined tackles and 21 return yards through two games this season.