Jarrett Stidham’s streak atop the New England Patriots’ depth chart has lasted longer than many expected. And it seems likely to continue.
After Tom Brady announced he was leaving to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stidham immediately moved to the top of the depth chart. But it seemed with so many veteran quarterbacks in free agency and a handful of talented draft prospects available, the Patriots would introduce a legitimate competitor at some point during the offseason.
Free agency came and went. The Patriots added just quarterback Brian Hoyer, a signal-caller who has deep knowledge of New England’s system, even if his experience as a starter is fairly turbulent. Hoyer and Stidham had been in competition for Brady’s backup job in 2019 and Stidham won. By that same logic — and to some degree it’s flawed — Stidham should be the top quarterback in 2020. (The flaws in the logic: New England wanted to retain Stidham, a fourth-round pick, for the long term and knew it’d lose him to the waiver wire. The Patriots also thought they could re-sign Hoyer before the Colts came in with an offer that blew him away.)
The draft didn’t produce an obvious heir to Brady, with the Patriots adding two undrafted free agents: Louisiana Tech’s J’Mar Smith and Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke. Again, Stidham retained his standing.
So what’s next for the Patriots? Well, it seems like it’s Stidham time, especially after the Dallas Cowboys signed quarterback Andy Dalton and the Patriots made no effort to sign him, according to the MMQB.
Essentially, there are only two things that can stop Stidham from winning the job.