The New England Patriots are expected to rest Mac Jones in Friday’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans.
It’s a change in approach from last season, when the team trotted their starting quarterback onto the field against the Las Vegas Raiders in the final preseason game. But there are some serious concerns that might thwart any chances of Jones playing another snap before the regular season opener.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on Thursday that there was “strong consideration” in holding Jones out after the hard hits he took in last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers behind the banged-up offensive line.
Starting left tackle Trent Brown was used sparingly, and both guards, Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu, were out. That left Jones at the mercy of an aggressive Packers defense.
Force the fumble. Recover the fumble.
Sheesh, @_kingsleye! 💥#NEvsGB #GoPackGo
📺: Packers TV Network pic.twitter.com/gEoJzFv4rY
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 20, 2023
The Patriots might take the safer than sorry approach against the Titans.
Storyline on my radar: After QB Mac
Jones took some hard hits last week behind a patchwork offensive line, strong consideration has to be given to hold him out of the preseason finale.Would normally not be a big question to play Jones in finale, but OL snapshot complicates it.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 24, 2023
This game should highlight Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley. It would be great to see Malik Cunningham get more work under center, if the team is truly considering keeping him on the 53-man roster.
If they’re cutting him and hoping he ends up on the practice squad, however, it might be smarter to keep him under wraps from other teams that might be interested.
As for Jones, he doesn’t gain much from playing on Friday. He had a full week of work last week with joint practices and a game appearance. It’s time for him to put exhibition football in the rearview and turn the page to the regular season.
