Patriots QB battle: How can Mac Jones take advantage of the Cam Newton situation?
The New England Patriots are going through a crucial time during training camp, as their starting quarterback battle is going down to the wire.
While Cam Newton seemed to grab the edge over Mac Jones following a strong exhibition against the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason week 2, he'll be out of practice until Thursday following a misunderstanding between the league, the Patriots and Newton.
Since the veteran is unvaccinated, he couldn't leave the Boston area without a five-day quarantine before returning. Even though he took COVID-19 tests and they returned negative, Newton has to miss practice because of the league's protocols in place for the 2021 season.
That means Mac Jones has a golden opportunity to take the lead in the race for the starting spot. He'll have all the first-team reps until Thursday, and he has the perfect opportunity to show the Patriots' coaches that he's their best option for the week-1 contest against the Miami Dolphins.
How can Jones take advantage of Newton's situation?
Being vaccinated is a competitive advantage nowadays in the NFL, and the Cam Newton situation highlights this fact.
With Newton unvaccinated and missing practice because of the protocols, Jones will get 100% of the first-team reps, giving him all the opportunities to get hold of the job. At the same time, Newton missing practice time is a huge problem for him as well in terms of getting ready for the season.
Now Jones has the perfect opportunity to build chemistry with guys like Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Damien Harris, all presumed starters for the Patriots in their offense. Even if Jones is not the starter when week 1 arrives, the coaching staff will have a better idea of how he reacts in given situations, and they'll feel more confident with him on the field.
What does this mean for Cam Newton and the New England Patriots?
You can be sure that Bill Belichick is unhappy with Newton missing practice time because of his decision not to take the vaccine. That's especially because the same scenario can repeat itself in the regular season, with the quarterback missing practice time during the week and perhaps even the game itself.
If Newton is named the Patriots' starter and misses a game because of high-risk close contact, Belichick will be fuming. And that's not even considering the possibility of the quarterback contracting COVID-19, a much higher risk considering he's not vaccinated.
It's unclear whether Mac Jones is vaccinated or not, but it's worth repeating that this is a business decision as well a personal decision (it's not a personal decision, by the way). If you're considered a high-risk close contact, but you're vaccinated and test negative, you don't have to miss any time.
There's also some frustration brewing from the New England Patriots' organization regarding this situation. Newton is on a one-year contract, so everything counts for him to come back in 2022 or not. But Jones has the golden opportunity in camp now.