No matter how good Mac Jones looks, no matter how much the door seems to wiggle open for Jones to win the starting job – no matter what, Cam Newton continues to play well.
Newton made a mistake, accidentally violating the NFL’s protocols for players who are not fully vaccinated and missing a test. So he missed five days of work. In that absence, Jones was excellent, with his best day of training camp on Wednesday.
In Newton’s comeback on Thursday, he was steady and solid, leading a touchdown drive against the New York Giants in joint practices at Gillette Stadium. Newton is the starter — for now. When he’s on the field, he’s not doing anything to lose the job.
Here are our notes from the practice.