Jarrett Stidham is one of the most questioned quarterbacks heading into the 2020 season.
Will the second-year product out of Auburn be capable of producing in the offense Tom Brady ran for 20 years? Is he going to earn the starting role over Brian Hoyer? Bill Belichick hasn’t publicly made Stidham the starter, but the league-wide assumption is that he is running the show next season.
It’s difficult to put a gauge on where he’s at and if he’s ready to be the next leader for the New England Patriots. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms ranked the top 40 quarterbacks heading into 2020 and Stidham landed at 35.
“This guy was a first-round talent, in my opinion, coming out of the draft two years ago,” Simms said, transcribed by NESN. “He killed it in the preseason last year. He absolutely, absolutely killed it. He’s a good decision-maker, he’s a very good athlete. He can really make plays within the pocket, moving around, throwing the ball in different ways. He’s a pure thrower of the football. It’s not a great arm, it’s a real good arm. He certainly can make any throw and has a variety of throws. Can throw the ball with touch, has timing, can drive the ball, has an aggressive frame of mind that I really like. He drops back and he’s looking to strike. He’s not looking to go, ‘Oh, let me throw a 4-yard completion and get my completion percentage up and get us to second-and-6.
“He plays the position true to how he’s coached. Hey, if the first read is, like, the 20-yard comeback on the right side, he’s gonna sit there and give that 20-yard comeback a chance. I think all of those things, plus poise in the pocket — I’m just a big fan of Jarrett Stidham. I’m a believer. I would be more shocked if he’s not still the quarterback six or seven years from now than I am if he ends up not being the quarterback after this year. Yeah, I think he’s the future.”
Simms believes he has a promising future in the NFL, but has his skepticism on Stidham’s first season.
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