If Mac Jones is going to start Week 1 for the Patriots, he’s going to need to prove he’s better than Cam Newton.
Those were Bill Belichick’s words the night Jones was selected No. 15 overall.
“Somebody would have to play better than he does,” he said when asked how long Newton will remain the Patriots’ top quarterback.
Well, Jones could take a big step in doing that over the next week on the upper grass fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Newton suffered a reported bruise on his throwing hand in last Friday’s session, which will likely keep him off the field until the team reports for training camp in late July. This means Newton will miss the final few OTA sessions this week and the three days of mandatory minicamp next week.
While Jones is not the only quarterback remaining on the roster, he likely will get a majority of Newton’s would-be reps. This could be a big first step for the Alabama product in making his mark with the Patriots organization and proving to his new teammates he’s ready to start in the NFL.
Sure, OTAs are a teaching camp, but since they are nearing the end a lot of the instruction has already been done. There will be more and more opportunities in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work, which can lead to making a good impression on both teammates and coaches.
Let’s just say Jones puts together an impressive string of practices where he shows a good grasp of the offense, makes the necessary checks at the line and connects with his receivers for some big plays — wouldn’t that in turn lead to more reps with the first-unit come training camp?
Jones isn’t going to win the starting job these next five or so practices, but he can take a big step in potentially taking away from of Newton’s reps come training camp.
If he does that and continues to perform at a high level then he would get more and more reps and then extended time in a joint practice/preseason game. Then we’d be talking about the rookie potentially getting to start the first week of the season.
It’s a long way to go but if that were to happen the work Jones put in now would be a key building block in doing so.
As for Newton, there isn’t really much he can do. If Jones wins the job, he wins the job. The rookie is the future of the Patriots franchise at the position. If he’s ready to play, there’s not much Newton can do about it.
The way the team looks at it is even if Newton and Jones are at the same level come the end of training camp, the job is going to go to Jones because of the investment in him. It will be worth wondering how Newton handles that, if it were to happen.
There’s certainly a scenario where if Newton does not win the starting job he gets released because of who the Patriots also have at the position — Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.
In previous years, these final OTA sessions and minicamp practices haven’t had too much meaning when it comes to what might happen in Week 1 of the regular season, and while the starting quarterback won’t be determined in June, a good glimpse into what might happen will be had.
Should be an interesting next week or so down in Foxboro.