The New England Patriots did not select a quarterback during the course of the 2020 NFL Draft. And it continually seems they will ride with 2019 fourth-rounder Jarrett Stidham.
Though the Patriots were linked to former Cincinnati Bengals starter Andy Dalton–who was released by the team on Thursday–one evaluator hinted it might not make sense for the Pats to inject him into the quarterback competition.
The evaluator told Mike Sando of The Athletic Dalton might not even be the backup in New England, given Brian Hoyer's knowledge of New England's system. They also noted it could be pointless to bring in Dalton if the NFL season is shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic:
“The takeaway is, they like Stidham and they believe he is the next guy, but he is going to compete with Hoyer,” the evaluator said. “Does bringing in Dalton work well in a shortened year? Would he come in, learn their offense and be ahead of Hoyer, who has been in it before? I don’t see it.”
Hoyer spent his first three years with the Pats, and he has since had a couple other stints in New England as Tom Brady's backup. He has extensive knowledge of Josh McDaniels' offensive system which–if nothing else–makes him an invaluable mentor for Stidham.
Dalton is just 32 years old, and he could still be a serviceable option for a number of teams around the league.
But he might not make sense for the Patriots, a team with limited cap space and a certain willingness to let Stidham ride it out this year.
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