It’s never easy replacing a legend, but the New England Patriots are giving it their best shot after Tom Brady’s departure ahead of the 2020 season.
The Patriots are trying a few different options under center, inclusive of bringing talent in from outside the organization, and trying to develop homegrown solutions as well.
Cam Newton was signed ahead of last year to provide a veteran stopgap presence for the franchise, and remains in their immediate plans for 2021.
New England has also invested draft picks at the position in recent years to find a long-term solution, with Jarrett Stidham and Mac Jones.
However, Stidham’s future in New England is very cloudy at best.
Feels good to be a Patriot! https://t.co/YsLUPsLbSC
— Jarrett Stidham (@Jarrett_Stidham) April 29, 2019
He opted for surgery late last month to fix a back injury.
The former Auburn Tigers signal-caller arrived at camp on the PUP list with a shoulder ailment, so his back troubles have only compounded a difficult summer.
He’s still only 25 years old, but the clock on his tenure with the Patriots may strike twelve soon.
Stidham Might Not Make It To Week 1
The procedure to correct his back injury will likely sideline him for three months.
That indicates his earliest return to the practice field would could come sometime in late October.
Once he returns to Foxborough, Stidham is not likely to get many, or even any, reps in practice.
It’s unfortunate Stidham’s roster spot may be lost due to injury, but that looks like a very real possibility at this point and time.
Additionally, head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have seen Stidham play for two seasons.
If they had more confidence in his ability to be an NFL starter, the team would not have felt inclined to bring in additional help to overtake him.
Even though he’s not going to be the long-term answer, Newton seems to have ingratiated himself nicely with the organization.
His work ethic has been commended by the coaching staff.
While his performance last year left a lot to be desired, a lot of it could be explained away due to circumstantial hurdles.
It will be interesting to see how much Newton can improve in his second season with the team, but even if his play is just good enough to keep them in contention, it’s unlikely the team will pull the plug.
The last time the Patriots drafted a quarterback in the first round before 2021 was 1993, when they selected Drew Bledsoe first overall.
That’s a remarkable streak, but the fact the organization was willing to snap it to take Jones should be telling.
New England isn’t going to sacrifice winning now for their future later, but the idea is also not for Jones to sit for an extended period of time.
The former Alabama prospect should get his chance to start in the second half of the season.
Those prognostications don’t leave much wiggle room for Stidham.
At best, he’s a reserve option, and he’s negatively impacted by modern day NFL roster construction, which many times features only two quarterbacks.
Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham both threw touchdown passes Sunday and became the first pair of Auburn players to do that for an NFL franchise in the same game.#AUNextLevel
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 8, 2020
If New England does want to roll with three quarterbacks, Stidham might eventually take Brian Hoyer’s third string spot, but even that seems like a coin flip at best.
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