The Patriots have surprisingly released QB Cam Newton, according to multiple reports. We wouldn't have been shocked to see the team name Mac Jones its Week 1 starter, but we certainly did not foresee New England unloading Newton completely. Jones graded out among the top passers across the league in preseason, according to Pro Football Focus. His ascension should be good news for the fantasy outlooks for basically everyone in the New England offense. It signals a more traditional scheme as opposed to last year's run-heavy approach. It returns lead status near the goal line to Damien Harris and the RBs. And it should mean more -- and more accurate -- targets for all pass-catchers. We're not overly interested in Jones as a fantasy football prospect, but Jakobi Meyers, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Nelson Agholor and James White all gain some late-round appeal. RB Damien Harris also gets a bump. Check out the updated projections for the Patriots.
Patriots QB Mac Jones capped off an impressive preseason by going 10 of 14 for 156 yards and 1 TD over 5 series in Sunday night's finale vs. the Giants. That came after QB Cam Newton got the start and struggled, completing just 2 of 5 passes for 10 yards and an INT on 2 series. Jones finishes the preseason with a 92.2 Pro Football Focus passing grade -- 2nd highest among 101 QBs that threw a pass. Newton finished 13th with a 78.0 grade. HC Bill Belichick declined to name a starter after the game. Newton might still get the Week 1 nod out of veteran deference. But expect to see Jones in there sooner than later. He looks ready.
Patriots QB Cam Newton returned to practice Thursday after spending 5 days away following a mixup in COVID testing protocol. According to practice observers, Newton jumped right back in front of Mac Jones for lead reps with the 1st team. We'll see whether anything changes by the regular-season opener, but continue treating Newton as the New England starter for now.
Patriots QB Cam Newton will be away from the team for 5 days after a misunderstanding with COVID protocols. Newton went to a medical appointment outside of the New England area on Saturday. Despite continuing to test negative for the virus, protocols now require him to go through a "5-day entry cadence process" to return to the team. He'll be able to participate virtually -- but Newton's absence will give rookie QB Mac Jones a chance to soak up 1st-team reps. We'll see if that changes the outcome of this QB competition.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe believes it'd be a "stunner" if Patriots QB Cam Newton isn't under center for the start of the season. After a choppy start to training camp, Newton reportedly had a strong week in joint practices with the Eagles. Then he completed 8 of 9 passes for 103 yards and a score in 3 possessions vs. Philadelphia in Thursday night's preseason game. Rookie QB Mac Jones has also looked good this preseason -- and we still expect him to hit the field at some point this year. But look for Newton to be the Week 1 starter.
Patriots QB Cam Newton got the start for the 2nd straight preseason game on Thursday night vs. the Eagles. He was sharp, finishing 8 of 9 for 103 yards and a TD to WR Jakobi Meyers in 3 series. QB Mac Jones played the next 4 possessions, completing 13 of 19 passes for 146 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs. The rookie earned a strong 93.2 passing grade from Pro Football Focus. Newton finished with a solid 85.5 grade. Newton remains the slight favorite to get the Week 1 starting nod, but there's still time for Jones to change that.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Patriots QB Cam Newton’s completion percentage and adjusted accuracy rate in training-camp practices have declined this year vs. last summer. The veteran has also thrown more INTs. That’s worrisome, given that he’s had more time within the offense, should be healthier than a year ago and finds improved talent among the pass-catchers. Howe sees a window for Mac Jones to potentially assert himself as 2021 starter over the next couple of weeks, though such a shift would obviously require HC Bill Belichick deciding to make it happen.
ESPN's Mike Reiss says that through their 1st 2 padded practices, the Patriots' offense looks like it's "running two separate attacks" with its top 2 QBs. Cam Newton's version obviously features plenty of read-option, while rookie Mac Jones "looks like he's running the more traditional Patriots passing offense." Pat Kirwan of Sirius XM -- and a former NFL scout and front-office man -- adds: "He's more what Josh [McDaniels] wants to do, and how he's done it in the past. ... I wouldn't be surprised if by October we see [him] under center." According to Reiss, this all followed arguably Jones' best day of camp, and a pair of days in which he garnered significantly more reps than Newton. The rookie beginning to work his way past the vet -- whom Bill Belichick has called the starter -- doesn't make Jones attractive as a fantasy option. But the switch would certainly add upside to Patriots receiving options. Jones would also likely be better for RB Damien Harris' goal-line outlook.
Update: We should note here that Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes, "Anyone watching practice can tell Newton is the clear, unequivocal starter." Volin adds that Newton leads off every drill and that many of Jones' reps come with backups, rookies and scout-team players. We'll see where this situation goes.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said Saturday monrning, "Cam's our starting quarterback," per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. It's not surprising, of course, to hear that from the coach after Cam Newton has opened training camp taking 1st reps. And we'll expect Newton to keep the job until rookie Mac Jones overtakes him. We'll see how soon that might happen. It hasn't seemed as though either QB is wowing observers in early workouts. Newton presents more fantasy upside by virtue of his rushing. A switch to Jones, though, could boost target counts for players such as RB James White.
After watching spring practices, The Boston Globe's Ben Volin believes Patriots QB Mac Jones still has "a long way to go" to beat out QB Cam Newton for the starting job. Even with Newton sidelined the past week with his hand injury, Jones worked behind QBs Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. “There’s a lot going on in my brain,” Jones admitted. “You’re trying to see everything; sometimes you see too much or whatever, and then you see nothing. I have to figure out in this offense how I can break down the plays, what’s my job, what I have to do on this specific play and slot the plays individually. I did that obviously good in college or whatever, but this is the pros and I have to figure out how to do it here. So that’s what I’m going to do.” We'll see how much ground Jones can make up in training camp and preseason action, but bet on Newton being under center for New England come Week 1.
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