New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham noticeably struggled during padded practice on Thursday, raising concerns that he may be suffering from a leg injury.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Stidham was taken to a hospital for tests on his leg, which came back negative. He returned to practice Friday as a limited participant.
Patriots’ QB Jarrett Stidham was taken to a local hospital on Thursday for precautionary tests on his upper leg that came back negative, per league sources. Stidham returned to the team this morning and went through practice Friday, though with a lighter load than usual.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2020
Stidham had been the presumptive Week 1 starter after Tom Brady's departure, but the addition Cam Newton has complicated that path. Stidham's poor play so far has only compounded his issues, and he finds himself lagging behind the 2015 NFL MVP in the QB competition. Veteran Brian Hoyer is also on the depth chart.
In a media session on Friday morning, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said it's too early to make any sweeping judgments about Stidham—or anyone on the roster, for that matter.
“I don't think it's really good for us as a coaching staff to over-evaluate an individual play when we have so many plays to work with,” via Zack Cox of NESN. “Every player makes mistakes out there. Every player gets corrected…ultimately, we're going to reach a point where we have to really evaluate what the performance is…I think in the early stages, there's definitely timing, confidence, anticipation issues that are different from player to player.”
Belichick added his staff will evaluate based on how players improve over the course of training camp. “The first day or two, three, whatever, is not as critical as going forward when you've been through things multiple times,” Belichick remarked.
Whether it's the result of injury or inexperience, Stidham is being outpaced by Newton. According to Phil Perry of NBC Sports, Newton went 7-for-13 in 11-on-11 snaps on Thursday, while Stidham went 2-for-6 with two interceptions in 17 competitive snaps. If you include 7-on-7 competition, Newton completed nearly three times as many passes as Stidham.
Stidham's partial absence from Friday's activities could further open the door for Newton to start under center when the Patriots open their season on Sept. 13 at home against the Miami Dolphins.
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