New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was not present for the team’s practice session on Monday, and he will miss five days in total after misunderstanding the COVID-19 protocols. The team released a statement about the quarterback’s absence.
“On Saturday, Cam Newton traveled to a Club-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England area. He received daily Covid tests, which were all negative,” the Patriots wrote Monday in a statement. “Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility. Cam will continue participating virtually in team activities and return to the club facility on Thursday, August 26.”
Newton had a strong outing in the preseason on Thursday when he was 8 of 9 for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 35-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Newton played three series.
Newton is entrenched in a positional battle with rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who also put together a strong preseason performance on Thursday (13/19, 146 yards). It’s likely Newton’s absence will mean increased snaps for Jones and Brian Hoyer over the new few days, which will include joint practices against the New York Giants.
Newton was the Patriots’ starter in 2020 with 2,657 passing yards, 8 passing touchdowns, 12 rushing touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 15 games. He re-signed with the New England on a one-year deal before the team drafted Jones 15th overall out of Alabama.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels fielded a question about whether he had an idea of who would be the starting QB in Week 1.
“I know this is going to sound silly, but I haven’t really worried about it. I think that decision from Bill will be made when the time is right to make it,” McDaniels said Sunday. “Cam certainly is the starter now, and he has done a good job. He has gone in there, he played well the other night. He’s practiced well. But, I know those guys are really competing hard and we’re giving them an opportunity to compete and play a lot of football.”
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