New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has left a strong first impression on his teammates, notably in how he carries himself.
Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said Jones' swagger and confidence caught him off guard, also applauding Jones for his work ethic in organized team activities:
“He has a swag to him that I didn't know that he had at first,” Bourne said Thursday, via ESPN's Mike Reiss. “He's out there confident, and that is what you need in a quarterback. Good energy, awesome guy, comes to work and you just can feel his energy and leadership already.”
New tight end Hunter Henry added the guys on the Patriots roster are all excited for Jones. Head coach Bill Belichick was, as expected, a little more reserved in his assessment of the rookie quarterback, though he did point out Jones was quick to get into offensive concepts:
“Mac dove into the playbook and continues to do that,” Belichick said, via Reiss. “We all have a lot of things we got to work on, and so that's what he's doing.”
The Patriots will likely hope Jones continues to make strides in OTAs and later this summer in training camp.
As things currently stand, it seems incumbent starting quarterback Cam Newton is probably the favorite to be under center in Week 1. However, Jones–the No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft–is the future of the quarterback position in New England.
Perhaps Jones' confidence and growing knowledge of the Patriots' offensive system will make the quarterback battle more competitive. For now, his teammates seem to be impressed with his makeup early in OTAs.
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