Patriots’ 2021 training camp preview: QB Jarrett Stidham

2021 is a crucial year for Jarrett Stidham

With the New England Patriots adding new faces on both sides of the football, one thing that remains relatively unchanged are the veterans in the quarterback room. They storylines at the position have lately revolved around Cam Newton and Mac Jones. One player that is looking to create storylines of his own is Jarrett Stidham.

Training camp less than two weeks away, this may prove to be an important one for Stidham. The veteran may have the most to lose at the quarterback position. With N’Keal Harry and Stephon Gilmore dominating most of the training camp headlines, the quarterback position battle on the depth chart may prove to be an intriguing storyline. The former Auburn star will certainly be in the thick of things.

Today, we will continue our training camp for by looking at quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

Why Jarrett Stidham was ‘fired up’ by Patriots drafting Mac Jones

Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a great reaction to the organization drafting Mac Jones

With the New England Patriots selecting quarterback Mac Jones in April’s draft, the Patriots’ quarterback competition got even more competitive. As Jarrett Stidham told the media on Monday, the selection got his competitive juices flowing.

Stidham is no stranger to quarterback competition, with the Patriots bringing in Cam Newton at the beginning of July last year. Stidham did see limited playing time last fall, with Newton handling the starting job for 2020.

As he indicated during a meeting with reporters, New England bringing in Jones has pushed Stidham to continue to work hard and get better. With the Jones seeming to perform well over the last couple of weeks, this could make for an interesting quarterback competition with training camp on the horizon.

“Absolutely, it definitely fires me up,” Stidham said of Jones’ arrival and added competition. “Last year bringing in Cam before training camp, that fired me up to continue to get better and to continue to grow as a player. Definitely fired up to be competing against Mac, [Brian Hoyer] and Cam. It’s a great room. It’s a lot of fun to be in there. But definitely fired up to compete against those guys every day.”

It will be intriguing to see how this battle plays out, and where Stidham fits into the equation. One thing seems certain, he enjoys the competition.

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Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham is clearly on to 2021

Jarrett Stidham appears ready to go for 2021.

As the New England Patriots prepare to begin the 2021 season, quarterback Jarrett Stidham is already locked in. Stidham posted a picture on Instagram Tuesday that indicated he was beginning the process of getting ready for 2021.

The Patriots quarterback room could be a bit different next year, as they are projected in many mock drafts to select a quarterback with the 15th overall pick. Nevertheless, Stidham is staying ready.

With the entire quarterback room  not seeing extended action last season, the quarterback competition is very much wide-open for New England. As for now, Stidham is just focused on doing his part in order to get ready for the upcoming year.

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After a mixed bag of results in mop-up duty in 2020, Stidham will look to prove himself. Heading into his third season, this offseason and preseason will be crucial for him.

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Jarrett Stidham is likely to be non-factor as Patriots make QB plans

Jarrett Stidham could be on the outside looking in come 2021.

As the New England Patriots begin to assess their plans at quarterback for the 2021 season, one has to wonder if a current quarterback on the roster will be left out of the equation.

Jarrett Stidham was thought to be the front-runner for the Patriots starting quarterback job in 2020. However, once the organization brought Cam Newton in, that all changed. Instead, Stidham was relegated to a third-string role, one he served with professionalism. He eventually jumped to QB2 when Brian Hoyer choked against the Chiefs.

Stidham was put into the game in mostly mop-up situations. On the year, he completed 50% of his passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Although he tried valiantly with the opportunities he was given, he did not really show a ton of promise in the situations he was put in. In his last instance of playing time against the Buffalo Bills, he completed 36.4% of his passes for 44 yards.

One could argue that the mop-up duty put him and difficult spots, as New England was already either behind when Stidham came into the game. However, I would argue that mop-up duty was his chance to show the coaching staff what he could do. Although he did have some success passing the football, he didn’t show enough to warrant New England thinking about putting him as a starter.

In addition, the New England Patriots passing offense struggled for the entire 2020 season. They ranked 30th in the league in passing yards with 180.6, and Newton had only eight touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. Those numbers did not exactly set the NFL on fire.

Due to how poor the offense performed, there would have been opportunities for Stidham to come in and show what he was made of. Instead, New England kept him on the bench. If New England had seen something  in Stidham, he probably would have gotten a chance to start. However, Stidham being relegated to the bench indicated to me that the Patriots either 1) did not like what they saw in practices, or 2) did not think he was developing fast enough to warrant extended playing time.

As a result, Sidham is likely to be a non-factor in the Patriots quarterback plans in 2021. Now in year three, the Patriots probably have a good idea of what he brings to the table. He’ll surely get a shot at competing for the starting job, but, at this point, it would be a stunning and pleasant surprise if he won the job. It’s absolutely not what the Patriots are expecting.

With quarterback stability needed, New England may want to draft a younger quarterback and see if he could develop at a much higher level.  With a drafted quarterback, the Patriots have the opportunity to develop him. With Stidham, the Patriots already know what they have and what he brings to the table. This could work against him as the organization prepares to build a blueprint for its future.

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The awkward Bill Belichick exchanges regarding Jarrett Stidham continue

Bill Belichick clearly doesn’t like this question.

Who will be under center for the New England Patriots? As of Wednesday of Week 16, that answer is still unknown.

Cam Newton is the assumed starter, but the Patriots aren’t playoff bound and this is the perfect time to give Jarrett Stidham a chance to prove what he can do. The Patriots have the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets for the final two games and the results from those games won’t matter much.

Bill Belichick awkwardly shut down the question regarding the quarterback situation while talking with WEEI’s Lou Merloni on Tuesday. Belichick said he’s done with the question after hearing it week after week.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss asked that same question on Wednesday and he got the same result. Here’s the exchange, transcribed by Masslive’s Chris Mason.

Reiss: “With this being the first practice of the week, and you guys going through your meetings the last couple days, are you sticking with Cam at quarterback?”

Belichick: “Mike, we’re not answering that question every day. We’ve been through this for a month.”

Reiss: “Totally respect that, just with the circumstances changing over the last couple days with the playoffs, that’s why I asked.”

Belichick: “How about if I let you know if we’re going to make a change?”

Reiss: “That sounds good to me. Is it partly due to competitive reasons, that you don’t want to let the Bills know?”

Belichick: “Any questions on Buffalo, Mike?”

So, that’s helpful — we have absolutely no idea who’ll be at quarterback, but it’s leaning toward Newton.

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Jarrett Stidham has jumped past Brian Hoyer on the Patriots’ depth chart

Jarrett Stidham received a promotion on Sunday.

It seems Brian Hoyer’s work in Week 4 left a bad taste in Bill Belichick’s mouth. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham is the New England Patriots’ backup quarterback for Week 6 of the NFL season.

Hoyer was inactive for the Patriots’ game against the Broncos on Sunday, which meant Stdiham was the only backup active behind Newton. It marks his first time as Cam Newton’s backup. Stidham has leapfrogged Hoyer on the depth chart.

The decision made plenty of sense after Hoyer’s rough outing against the Kansas City Chiefs. New England probably previously favored him because of his experience, particularly in the Patriots system. But he looked like a rookie, making multiple decisions that cost the Patriots points. That led to his benching at the end of the third quarter. And that probably led to a lack of confidence in Hoyer. If he couldn’t bring a steadying presence to the team in Newton’s absence, he didn’t bring a tremendous amount of value.

Stidham entered the game and made a few errors of his own, with two interceptions. Even so, New England must have liked what they saw from Stidham in that game and in the practices that ensued to justify elevating him past Hoyer for this week.

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Jarrett Stidham explains what went wrong on INTs vs. Chiefs: ‘Both on me’

A tough outing for both of New England’s quarterbacks.

Jarrett Stidham’s night was emblematic of the New England Patriots’ offensive performance in Week 4. He had moments of excellence, of bad luck and of truly awful execution.

His touchdown was a beaut. After Stidham replaced Brian Hoyer in the third quarter, the second-year quarterback lofted the ball into a part of the end zone where only receiver N’Keal Harry could make a play on the ball for a 4-yard catch in the end zone. But what followed sunk the Patriots.

Stidham threw a pair of interceptions, one to receiver Julian Edelman and one to receiver Damiere Byrd. The Edelman interception bounced off the veteran’s hands before Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was lucky enough to grab the ball out of the air and return it for a touchdown. Bad luck (and poor execution on Edelman’s part). On Stidham’s misfire to Byrd, the quarterback had his man open, but Stidham didn’t put enough arm strength into the throw. The weak toss led to poor accuracy which produced an easy play for the cornerback.

“Those were both on me,” Stidham said after the game. “Just got to place the ball better to Juless.”

That’s a generous assessment. If Edelman catches a ball that hit him in the hands, then there’s no pick-six.

“The one to Damiere (Byrd) over the top, just trying to give him a chance. I’ve just got to do a better job of laying it out there and letting him go get it,” Stidham said. “Just trying to do my best to go out there and execute the plays that were called. Unfortunately, you know, I ended up throwing two interceptions.”

Tom Brady had a propensity to air out deep balls at the end of games when New England was trailing. Stidham’s second interception felt reminiscent of those plays, which Brady would explain away as aggressive decision-making in an effort to get his team back in the game. But Stidham rejected the idea that he was trying to do more to help the Patriots mount a comeback.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that there’s a different decision-making process in that sort of situation because at the end of the day, I’m trying to move the chains, trying to get our offense down the field to score some points,” Stidham said. “If a read tells me to throw it down the field like that, then that’s what I’ll take. If not, then I’ll go somewhere else. Just trying to follow my reads and give us an opportunity to score some points.”

Byrd was open. If Stidham had hit his receiver, it likely would have gone for a touchdown. It was a bold decision — and probably even the right one. But he didn’t execute at a high enough level to complete the play and, in turn, the Patriots could not compete with Kansas City.

It’s unclear whether Stidham or Hoyer will play in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.

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Patriots bench Brian Hoyer to play Jarrett Stidham vs. Chiefs

Brian Hoyer had a truly awful start to the game.

The New England Patriots benched Brian Hoyer at the end of the third quarter of the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Jarrett Stidham saw game action for the second time in his NFL career.

Hoyer left the game completing 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards and an interception. He also took two sacks. One of the sacks came at the end of the half when New England didn’t have a timeout. Because Hoyer went down, the Patriots couldn’t attempt a field goal. He then made another major mistake, taking a strip-sack at the 10-yard line during the third quarter. The turnover led to a Chiefs’ touchdown drive.

On Stidham’s first drive, he and the Patriots scored a touchdown, a 4-yard pass from Stidham to receiver N’Keal Harry.

The Patriots were left to play Hoyer and Stidham after Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

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5 burning questions for the Patriots after the Cam Newton signing

The Patriots have several key questions heading into the 2020 season.

Heading into the 2020 season, the New England Patriots are entering the campaign with a different feel in more ways than one. Offensively, the organization will have an entirely new look, likely with Cam Newton at the helm. Defensively, things will remain the same. All in all, there are still questions to be had about both sides of the ball.

With the Patriots facing a difficult schedule next season, they will certainly be challenged in all aspects. With the AFC East getting stronger, this could be the first year in quite some time that they will face stiff competition. It should make for an interesting season as everybody will have to adapt to the changing landscape of the organization.

I take a look at five burning questions for the Patriots in 2020.

Will Cam Newton be able to shake off his rust?

With the Patriots bringing in Newton, there is a question as to whether he will be able to shake off his rust from not playing in quite some time.

The last game that Newton played in was against Tampa Bay in Week 2 of the 2019 season. In that contest, he went 25-of-51 on the afternoon, throwing for 333 yards on the day. After that, the Panthers shut down for the season.

The Patriots have seen firsthand what type of quarterback Newton can be when he is healthy. He’s 2-0 against Bill Belichick while completing 72% of his passes for 525 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 106 more yards and a touchdown in those two games.

However, he has now had foot and shoulder problems since the last time the Patriots faced the Panthers. Newton certainly has a plethora of injuries in addition to his rust from not playing since last September. Will he be able to shake it off? That’s perhaps the biggest question on this list, especially if New England wants to beat out Jarrett Stidham in a quarterback competition.

Matt Light shares advice for Jarrett Stidham on replacing Tom Brady

“It’s not going to happen in that first game — although you’re going to find out what he’s made of in that first game.”

Matt Light was starting at left tackle when Drew Bledsoe exited the game on Sept. 23, 2001 after that infamous hit from Mo Lewis. That’s when Tom Brady took over in relief of Bledsoe, and kicked off one of the greatest quarterbacking careers in NFL history.

The circumstances weren’t so different from what Jarrett Stidham will experience as the Patriots hope he’ll replace Brady. Stidham won’t get as much practice time as is typically afforded to a quarterback, with the novel coronavirus pandemic shutting down the team’s OTAs and minicamp. Then again, Brady hadn’t had much in the way of practice when he replaced Bledsoe.

“I witnessed it happen with Tommy in a very difficult time. It’s not as if he had the snaps in practice leading up to that Week 3 where he was going to take over the reins from a very veteran quarterback in Drew Bledsoe,” Light said on “Good Morning Football” on Friday. “Stidham is going to prove it right now. Unfortunately right now means they’re not able to get together, but when they finally do get together, it’s going to happen in practice first.

“It’s not going to happen in that first game — although you’re going to find out what he’s made of in that first game when the bullets are flying for real and the guys are amped up and it’s all on the line. But he needs to prove it in how he conducts the practices and how he gets guys on the same page in the meeting room and in the film room, the classroom.”

Stidham should get that chance during training camp, which is still scheduled to start at the end of July (though it’s unclear if COVID-19 will impact that start date). When he does take over, the Patriots may resemble the teams of the early 2000s, with an excellent defense and a run-reliant offense.

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