Newton away from team for 5 days

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.