The New England Patriots sat back and watched the 2021 NFL Draft unfold in front of them. A flurry of quarterbacks were selected before Mac Jones fell into Bill Belichick's lap at No. 15 overall.
Cam Newton is back with the Patriots for a second season and Belichick has noted numerous times this offseason that he will be the starting quarterback. Appearing on WEEI Monday and via ProFootballTalk, Belichick revealed what the rookie Jones would have to do in order to leapfrog Newton on the depth chart.
“The fact that Cam started last year, and he’s here, somebody would have to play better than him. Training camp is all about competition.”
The head coach for the Patriots also made note of how much more comfortable Newton looks within the offense this offseason compared to last year.
“First of all, offensively, we have a much better balanced team. We’ve added some players that bring an explosive element to our offense … Cam is way more comfortable.”
When the Patriots selected Jones at No. 15 overall it was a clear indicator that they plan to give him the keys to the car at some point in the not so distant future. But, with Newton back and having familiarity within the scheme and the offense, it gives Belichick and New England time to let Jones sit and learn behind the veteran quarterback instead of tossing him into the fire.
New England is trying to bounce back after a fizzled out season last year (the first one without Tom Brady in two decades). The Patriots went all out in free agency and they will hope to see the results of that with a bumped up win total this year.
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