Why Patriots Pass-Catcher Has High Hopes For Mac Jones This Season

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Mac Jones' second season with the New England Patriots was defined by dysfunction.

The lead-up to his third can be summed up with a different word: consistency.

That's the term veteran tight end Hunter Henry repeatedly used to describe what he's seen from his quarterback as Sunday's season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles approaches.

"Mac's always been consistent in who he is," Henry said Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. "But this year, I feel like he's just been super, super consistent at all times. In the building, outside the building, on the field, off the field. He's a great leader, and he's fun to go out there and compete with.

"We've had a lot of good competition this last month with our defense, and it's been fun, so I'm excited to go out there and begin that journey with him through the season this year. But he's doing a fantastic job, and he's fun to go out there to work with."

The Patriots' decision to replace overmatched offensive play-caller Matt Patricia with experienced coordinator Bill O'Brien reinvigorated Jones, who looked far more comfortable and confident this spring and summer than he did in 2022.

Back in June, Jones said he would do everything he could to "earn respect from everyone in this building again" after his frustrating and forgettable sophomore campaign.

A portion of the Patriots' locker room reportedly believed backup Bailey Zappe gave the team a better chance to win at points last season, but Jones silenced those murmurs by outplaying Zappe so decisively this summer that New England felt comfortable waiving its popular second-stringer. Zappe eventually re-signed to the practice squad.

Head coach Bill Belichick, who fueled the Zappe hype by declining repeated opportunities to publicly endorse Jones, did just that earlier this week, raving about Jones' "really good" training camp, "excellent physical condition" and marked improvement in areas like reading defenses and decision-making.

"He's always had my respect," said Henry, who was one of Jones' top targets in training camp. "I think every year, though, as a player and as players, we all are trying to earn our teammates' respect, our coaches' respect. That's part of the process. That's you as a competitor. That's you as a player. When I step out there on the field, especially at the beginning of camp, I'm trying to earn my teammates' respect.

"All the stuff in the past, it doesn't matter. Obviously, it helps me process things and do things, but I've got to earn it again every single day. So you kind of have to take that approach, and I think he's done a great job of doing that. I've always had respect for him, and he's doing a great job."