Cyrus Jones

New England Patriots' Cyrus Jones (24) runs against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of a preseason NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

(Mike McCarn)

FOXBOROUGH -- If Bill Belichick has no idea what to do with rookie Cyrus Jones, how can you blame him?

Jones' kickoff return versus Seattle was a microcosm of his first season with the Pats. He flashed his electric ability with the ball in his hands, making decisive cuts and bringing the ball out toward midfield. And then he lost the ball.

Jones also fumbled a punt versus Houston in Week 3. In that same game, he coughed the ball up during another punt return, but the play was overturned via replay. He nearly took a knee at the 1-yard line on the opening kickoff return against the Bills in Week 4. And he was ejected in Week 5 against the Browns for throwing a punch.

On Thursday, Jones, the second-round pick out of Alabama, admitted that his rookie season has "been up and down."

"I'm pretty hard on myself," Jones said. "Regardless of how good the return (versus Seattle) was, I still don't want that negative feeling to happen. So I was pretty upset. (But) I can't sit there and dwell on it. We got the ball back, offense was in scoring position, so I tried to look at the positives."

Jones added that he'll continue to be critical when it's warranted.

"Being hard on myself is what got me here," he said.

Asked about the fumble, Jones admitted that he felt, "a lot of frustration."

"But you can't do anything about it," he said. "So you move on to the next play."

As a freshman at Alabama, Jones committed three fumbles on 18 returns (kickoff and punt). During his junior and senior seasons, he committed three fumbles on 53 returns. He lost only two of his six fumbles in college.

"Gotta focus on taking care of the ball," Jones said. "It's not really a rocket science answer. Just got to hold the ball tight."

Following his Week 5 ejection, Jones was inactive in Week 6, 7, and 8 games. He was reinserted in Week 10 versus Seattle, exclusively as a return man. He has not yet carved out a consistent spot at cornerback, but figures to be in the mix with Justin Coleman, who struggled Sunday, for the job as the team's slot corner.

Jones acknowledged that there is open competition for the spot.

"I mean, somewhat," Jones said. "I'm not really worried about it, though. I'm just trying to keep working hard and wait until my number is called. I try not to think about what the coaches got going on. I'm here to do a job."