As soon as news of Cam Newton’s COVID-19 protocol violation first dropped, many Patriots fans and media members speculated Newton’s practice absences could increase the chances of Mac Jones landing the starting quarterback job.
The Patriots might feel the same way.
New England on Monday announced that Newton would be out until Thursday after violating the NFL’s COVID-19 travel restriction protocols, which only apply to unvaccinated players. Consequently, Newton will be away from Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, when the Patriots will host the New York Giants for the first of two joint training camp sessions.
The first Mac Jones-related takeaway is obvious: The rookie QB will see extended reps with the first-team offense while Newton is out. The second, and more speculative take, is that Newton’s potential unreliability could force Bill Belichick — Mr. “the best ability is ‘availability'” — to move on from the 32-year-old.
How this story ultimately ends remains to be seen. However, NFL Media’s Mike Giardi on Tuesday offered new insight into the Patriots’ reaction to Newton’s NFL-mandated practice absences.
“Per sources, there is a level of frustration internally with the Cam Newton situation,” Giardi tweeted. “One important member of the organization believes this has ‘opened’ a window of opportunity for rookie Mac Jones. The team practices today and then with the (Giants) tomorrow (before) Newton can return.”
Ultimately, New England’s starting quarterback job won’t simply be handed to Jones — he’ll need to earn it. By all accounts, he did not seize the opportunity during Monday’s practice, though one iffy day shouldn’t erase all the good the Alabama product has done since the start of training camp.
Belichick was asked Tuesday whether Newton’s absence makes this an even bigger week for Jones.
“It is,” Belichick responded during his press conference.
Regardless, the top storyline surrounding the Patriots just got much more interesting.
