There was no doubt that New England Patriots quarterback struggled last season, but he is looking to put that behind him. 

Yet one CBS Analyst remains unsure about the third-year quarterback. 

CBS Sports Senior Writer Will Brinson ranked the 2023 NFL quarterbacks by tiers and Jones was fairly low on that list.  

To no surprise and titled "The Big Three," Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen topped the list, making up the top tier. 

However, Jones fell to the fifth tier alongside Pittsburgh Steelers' Kenny Picket and San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy. 

Brinson classified this trio as "Future Potential 'Can Win With Them' Guys.

And much of his reasoning for putting Jones in this group was due to his poor performance last season combined with all the uncertainty regarding his relationship with head coach Bill Belichick. 

"Do the Patriots like Mac??," Brinson wrote. "The rumors about Bill Belichick being mad at Jones for seeking outside help with the offense make total sense without making any sense at all. There's no denying his floor, though, and even if Bill O'Brien isn't Josh McDaniels he sure as hell ain't Matt Patricia. Plus the two worked together previously, so we should see a bounce-back if the OL and run game work out."

Jones was the NFL’s top rookie quarterback in 2021 under the direction of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He had 352 completions for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns.

However, with McDaniels leaving to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 and Matt Patricia become the main play caller for the Patriots, Jones took a serious step back. He appeared in 14 games, having to sit out for an injury, and threw for 2,997 yards (288 completions) and 14 touchdowns.

However, after the Patriots finished the season 8-9, it was clear things weren't working. Patricia's second stint with New England ended, with the former defensive coordinator joining the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff and the Patriots bringing back Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator. 

Jones was asked about the changes to the offense during organized team activities, and said what everyone is thinking. 

"It's been really good," Jones said in late May. "It's been normal. I think everything he's done so far has been really good. Communication is the most important part. And trust. I think it all starts with that with a new coach. He's done a great job controlling the room. I feel like everyone's on the same page.

"Just gotta continue to do it. It's a marathon not a sprint, we know that. He's obviously had a lot of great experience in the NFL and at Alabama where I was at so there's a lot of good stuff that we talk about. Just looking forward to working with him," Jones added. 

The hope is that this normalcy Jones is talking about will correspond to a lot of success for the Patriots and for the third-year quarterback during the 2023 season. 

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