You only can make one first impression, and in the NFL, it’s imperative you make it a good one.
It’s safe to say Jarrett Stidham made the most of his first opportunity, and it didn’t go unnoticed within the football world.
Stidham, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Thursday, took on a heavy workload in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Detroit Lions. The 2019 fourth-round pick looked calm, cool and collected throughout his debut, completing 14 of 24 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown in New England’s 28-point shellacking of the Lions. The Auburn product nearly tossed for two more scores as well, but a potentially missed pass interference call and the slightest of deflections prevented additional touchdowns.
ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick sure liked what he saw from Stidham, and he took to Twitter to share his initial impressions.
Stidham likely will see consistent playing time throughout the preseason. And if he continues to perform like he did Thursday night, Stidham will put himself in good position to supersede Brian Hoyer as the No. 2 on New England’s quarterback depth chart.
