New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday the roster filing process is far from complete and did not confirm if rookie Mac Jones would be the starting quarterback after Cam Newton was cut from the team. The team confirmed released Newton one day earlier, and the 2015 NFL MVP and ESPN reported that Jones would be the starter.”We will be assembling a practice squad starting today. There is a lot of movement still to go. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on some situations that are not final yet,” Belichick said. “Really, the most important thing to do right now is to put the best roster together that we can.” Jones is the first quarterback to be selected in the first round since Bill Belichick became head coach of the Patriots in 2000, and he is New England’s highest-drafted offensive player under Belichick.Jones led the Crimson Tide to a perfect 13-0 record and a national championship in 2020 while completing an NCAA-record 77.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions.He was named a First Team All-American and won the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given to the top quarterback in college football. Hoyer, the team’s third-string quarterback, was also among New England’s final round of roster cuts on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire.The 12-year NFL veteran, however, is expected to re-sign with the team ahead of Week 1, according to SportsCenter 5’s Duke Castiglione.As of now, Jones is the only quarterback on the team’s active roster as 2019 fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham has been placed on the physically unable to perform list. More like this: Undrafted rookie Quinn Nordin wins Patriots kicking jobRelated content: Patriots place cornerback Stephon Gilmore on 6-week physically unable to perform list Much of the focus during the Patriots training camp was the competition between Newton and Jones.Belichick said Wednesday that Newton’s COVID-19 vaccination status had nothing to do with him being released.“The number of players and coaches and staff members who have been affected by COVID in this training camp, who have been vaccinated, is a pretty high number, so I wouldn’t focus on that,” Belichick said.Newton started each of the Patriots’ three preseason games, but missed five days of practice after what the team described as a “misunderstanding” about COVID-19 testing.Newton traveled to a medical appointment outside of New England, the team said. The Patriots did not provide details about the appointment but said it was “club-approved.” “I really appreciate all the love and support during this time, but I must say please don’t feel sorry for me,” Newton posted on Instagram after he was released, adding #imGOOD.Newton played in 15 games, had 2,657 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns during the 2020 season. His average quarterback rating for the season was 47.
New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday the roster filing process is far from complete and did not confirm if rookie Mac Jones would be the starting quarterback after Cam Newton was cut from the team.
The team confirmed released Newton one day earlier, and the 2015 NFL MVP and ESPN reported that Jones would be the starter.
“We will be assembling a practice squad starting today. There is a lot of movement still to go. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on some situations that are not final yet,” Belichick said. “Really, the most important thing to do right now is to put the best roster together that we can.”
Jones is the first quarterback to be selected in the first round since Bill Belichick became head coach of the Patriots in 2000, and he is New England’s highest-drafted offensive player under Belichick.
Jones led the Crimson Tide to a perfect 13-0 record and a national championship in 2020 while completing an NCAA-record 77.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions.
He was named a First Team All-American and won the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given to the top quarterback in college football.
Hoyer, the team’s third-string quarterback, was also among New England’s final round of roster cuts on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire.
The 12-year NFL veteran, however, is expected to re-sign with the team ahead of Week 1, according to SportsCenter 5’s Duke Castiglione.
As of now, Jones is the only quarterback on the team’s active roster as 2019 fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham has been placed on the physically unable to perform list.
More like this: Undrafted rookie Quinn Nordin wins Patriots kicking job
Related content: Patriots place cornerback Stephon Gilmore on 6-week physically unable to perform list
Much of the focus during the Patriots training camp was the competition between Newton and Jones.
Belichick said Wednesday that Newton’s COVID-19 vaccination status had nothing to do with him being released.
“The number of players and coaches and staff members who have been affected by COVID in this training camp, who have been vaccinated, is a pretty high number, so I wouldn’t focus on that,” Belichick said.
Newton started each of the Patriots’ three preseason games, but missed five days of practice after what the team described as a “misunderstanding” about COVID-19 testing.
Newton traveled to a medical appointment outside of New England, the team said. The Patriots did not provide details about the appointment but said it was “club-approved.”
“I really appreciate all the love and support during this time, but I must say please don’t feel sorry for me,” Newton posted on Instagram after he was released, adding #imGOOD.
Newton played in 15 games, had 2,657 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns during the 2020 season. His average quarterback rating for the season was 47.
