Mac Jones looked much, much better at Wednesday’s practice

FOXBORO — It was reported Wednesday morning that Mac Jones has a “decent chance” at returning for the Patriots this weekend in Cleveland. He certainly looked much closer to a return when he took the practice field in Foxboro.

The quarterback, who has missed the last two weeks with what has been reported as a high ankle sprain, looked much more mobile at Wednesday’s practice. He walked with just a slight limp, much less than the limp he was sporting last week, and he looked much more comfortable when dropping back to throw.

Dropping back and throwing the ball in practice is obviously much, much different than dropping back and throwing passes with 300-pound linemen and athletic linebackers coming right at you. But Jones has shown a lot of improvement since he was a glorified lawn ornament two Fridays ago before New England’s Week 4 game against the Packers. 

If Jones is able to return this weekend when the Patriots visit the Cleveland Browns, he’d be well ahead of the usual four-to-six week window that usually comes with a high ankle sprain. We’ll have a better idea of Jones’ participation level on Wednesday when the Patriots release their first practice/injury report of the week, but the QB looks to be trending in the right direction.

And if Jones still can’t go come Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, then Bailey Zappe will be there to make his second career start. The rookie was solid last weekend against the Lions, completing 17 of his 21 passes for 188 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Browns clash on WBZ-TV — the television home of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. on TV38 with Patriots 1st Down, and continues Friday night at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV with Patriots All Access. Sunday’s coverage kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay, followed by Pats-Browns at 1 p.m. We wrap it all up on TV38 after the game with Patriots 5th Quarter!