Quarterback competition
• Cam Newton was 11 of 17 (one drop) with an interception in competitive team drills, including 6 of 12 with the interception and dropped pass in 11-on-11s against the starting defense. Newton now has seven interceptions in camp.
• Newton’s targets: Sony Michel (1 of 1), Kendrick Bourne (2 of 2), Jakobi Meyers (3 of 3), Jonnu Smith (2 of 4, interception), Kristian Wilkerson (1 of 4, drop), N’Keal Harry (0 of 1), James White (2 of 2).
• Mac Jones was 11 of 14 (one drop) in team drills, including 4 of 7 with the dropped pass in 11-on-11s against the starting defense. Jones has three interceptions in training camp.
• Jones’ targets: Gunner Olszewski (2 of 2), Jakobi Meyers (1 of 1), Kendrick Bourne (3 of 3), Damien Harris (1 of 1), Kristian Wilkerson (1 of 3, drop), N’Keal Harry (0 of 1), Sony Michel (2 of 2), Marvin Hall (1 of 1).
Jones then got his chance against the starting defense in a full-field situation with a running clock, and he opened with a checkdown to Harris. Then on first down, he bypassed an easy underneath completion for Smith to take a shot to Wilkerson down the left sideline, but Jalen Mills nicely walled off his route to force an incompletion. After a run, Jones kept the drive alive with a third-down slant to Bourne. He next avoided pressure by sliding left and hitting Bourne, who sat in between a zone in the middle of the field. On another third down, Jones scrambled right and summoned Wilkerson to come back down the right sideline, but Wilkerson dropped the pass. After Bill Belichick simulated a completion, Jones wanted to go right back to Wilkerson on a slant against Michael Jackson, but the cornerback had strong coverage. Jones bought time for Wilkerson to gain speed by shuffling in the pocket then fit a low throw into a tight window for a touchdown to Wilkerson. Jones’ final throw for Harry in the right corner of the end zone was a high incompletion with Jackson close behind. With defenders underneath the route, Jones seemed to make sure it’d either be a terrific catch by Harry or an incompletion through the end zone. Jones was 4 of 7 in the period.
• Jones then got a chance with the backup offense against the backup defense in a full-field, last-minute drive. He opened with a perfect fade to Michel for an extended gain down the right sideline with Anfernee Jennings in coverage. Jones wanted to throw right again, but his first two reads were covered so he slid left and checked down to Michel on the backside. He then hit Olszewski on a slant and Hall on a perfect back-shoulder touchdown against Justin Bethel in the left side of the end zone.
Throughout training camp, Jones is 33 of 68 (48.5 percent) with one interception in 11-on-11s against the starting defense, but he has improved in a big way since Wednesday. Over the last four practices (discounting the Friday walkthrough), Jones is 16 of 24 (two drops) in 11-on-11s against the starting defense, so he has completed 66.7 percent of his passes with an adjusted accuracy rate of 75 percent.
• Newton is now 43 of 78 (55.1 percent) with two interceptions in 11-on-11s against the starting defense through camp. Over the same four-practice stretch, he is 15 of 23 with an interception, so he has completed 65.2 percent of his passes with an adjusted accuracy rate of 69.6 percent.
• Both quarterbacks seem to be trending in the right direction.
Cam Newton: 2021 vs. 2020
• This was the Patriots’ 10th competitive practice of training camp, discounting the walkthrough Friday inside Gillette Stadium, so this is a good time to assess Newton’s performance relative to 2020. Last year, the Patriots also had 10 competitive training camp practices, not including two walkthroughs, and Newton completed 130 of 201 passes (64.7 percent) with five interceptions in team drills. He was also bitten by 14 drops, so his adjusted accuracy rate was 71.6 percent.
So far this summer, Newton has completed 103 of 165 passes (62.4 percent) with seven interceptions. He has been plagued by seven drops, so his adjusted accuracy rate is 66.7 percent. So Newton’s completion percentage has dropped by 2.3 points, his adjusted accuracy rate has dropped by 4.9 points, and he has also been intercepted at a higher rate (4.2 percent of his throws in 2021; 2.5 percent in 2020).
• These passing stats are not necessarily a reflection on Newton’s trajectory – for better, worse or anywhere in between. It’s tricky to compare camps because the Patriots are working on different things this summer, particularly with more of an even split with quarterback reps, and the defense and offensive skill players are each superior. As a reminder, Newton also had a higher workload last year because Jarrett Stidham was limited for a week with a hip injury. It’s not much of a stretch to think Newton benefited from those added opportunities to find a rhythm.
That’s why, when asked to compare Newton’s two summers in Foxboro and whether he’s shown any marked improvements, it’s a challenge to provide a definitive answer. Specific to this summer, Newton has had a mixture of good days and bad days, and some practices have been sprinkled with strong periods and poor periods.
• If Belichick is truly giving Jones an ample opportunity to challenge Newton for the top job, Belichick could conceivably wait until as late as Sept. 1 to name his starter. That’d give the Patriots one final week in a camp-like setting before ramping up for Week 1. With three preseason games, two stretches of joint practices and a number of additional workouts in Foxboro, there’s a ton of time to go.
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