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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