In the preseason finale against the New York Giants on Thursday night, New England Patriots cornerback Cyrus Jones suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his right knee.

The Patriots worst fear came to fruition as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that the 23-year-old has a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus that will effectively take him out for the entire 2017 season.

The injury occurred midway through the second quarter as Jones was covering Giants wide receiver Travis Rudolph along the left sideline. He stepped on his right foot, and his leg immediately gave out. It was a non-contact injury that required him to be helped off the field without putting any weight or pressure on his foot.

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The 2016 second-round pick had been slated to be the Patriots' designated punt returner after wideout Julian Edelman tore his right ACL last Friday. He had a decorated collegiate career at Alabama, where he established himself as one of the top returners in the nation.

On Friday afternoon, Jones took to social media to post some optimism about the situation, with eyes toward a full recovery from the serious leg injury.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYgYqBJHLeQ/

The Patriots could turn to veteran wide receiver Danny Amendola to take over as the top punt returner spot, as he previously held down that position with the team, but injuries put him out of the mix.