Although it’s not official, there’s a very good chance second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start for the New England Patriots in 2020.
Tom Brady is gone after 20 years with the team and Brian Hoyer was added to the roster for the third time in his career. Hoyer was told he’d have a chance to compete for the starting role, but his value will come from his deep knowledge of the team’s playbook. Hoyer will be the level-headed mentor who passes down knowledge and experience to the fourth-round quarterback.
Belichick spoke about the team’s quarterback position on Thursday night and acknowledged Stidham’s improvement so far over the offseason.
“Stid worked really hard last year,” Belichick said on the NFL Network. “He was our backup quarterback the entire season and I know he’s working hard in the offseason. I know he’s made a lot of progress in terms of understanding our offense and understanding opponent defenses like all players do from Year 1 to Year 2.
“I am sure he will get out there and be ready to go, be prepared, compete hard, and we’ll see where it takes us.”
The Patriots added undrafted quarterbacks J’Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke to compete behind Stidham and Hoyer. New England’s quarterback room will struggle tremendously to fill Brady’s shoes — but, Belichick and Josh McDaniels will put the team in positions to win.
