Throughout the past few weeks, the New England Patriots have quietly, but strongly, been telling all of us Jarrett Stidham will be their starting quarterback moving forward. New England’s actions have been speaking volumes about the way in which they feel about Stidham’s future with the team. For starters, the Patriots have passed on bringing in high profile players such as Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, and most recently, Andy Dalton. Furthermore, while rumors of New England reportedly thinking about using a “premium” draft pick on a quarterback swirled days prior to the draft, nothing of the sort happened. In fact, Bill Belichick decided not to use any of the team’s ten draft selections on a quarterback despite a player such as Georgia’s Jake Fromm falling to the fifth round. Throughout this entire off-season, the Patriots actions have been screaming Stidham is their guy for the future and recent reports back this up. According to Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft insider, Matt Miller, in February the Patriots told an agent of one free agent quarterback that, “They like the guy they have” and were not interested in bringing in a big name free agent. New England seems very confident and comfortable with giving Stidham a shot to lead their franchise during this upcoming season. While many fans hear Stidham’s name and remember the pick six he threw against the New York Jets, many are also asking who Stidham is as a player along with how he will fit into New England’s offense.
New England Patriots Rumors: Jarrett Stidham Atop Quarterback Depth Chart
Stidham’s Prolific Recruiting Background
As one of the Nation’s top high school recruits in 2015, Jarrett Stidham, a four-start dual threat quarterback from Stephenville, Texas received numerous offers from high profile schools. Via 247 Sports, among Stidham’s 23 total offers were chances to play for schools such as Alabama, Texas Tech, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Stidham instead decided to play as a true freshman for Baylor before he transferred to Auburn for his sophomore and junior seasons.
Auburn Achievements
Upon his arrival in 2017, Stidham earned the starting quarterback job for the Tigers and led the team to a 10-4 record including wins over powerhouse competition such as Georgia and Alabama. Furthermore, while going 2-2 against teams such as Alabama (W, 26-14), Clemson (L, 6-14), and twice Georgia (W, 40-17: L, 7-28) Stidham put up solid numbers. Throughout the above four game stretch, Stidham completed 62% of his passes for 675 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Additionally, Stidham also added 108 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 37 attempts. Stidham concluded his 2017 sophomore season completing 66.5% of his passes for 3,158 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Moreover, Stidham added a total of 383 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 108 attempts.
Stidham’s 2017 season earned him a lot of hype and, before his 2018 junior season, he was ranked as the number one quarterback in the class. However, this would change after a 2018 season in which Stidham came back down to earth. Stidham completed 60.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,794 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. In addition, Stidham added 177 rushing yards along with three touchdowns on 72 attempts. Despite the dip in statistics for Stidham, Auburn’s 2018 team had lost significant skill players to the NFL as well as to injury. For instance, major 2017 contributors such as running back, Kerryon Johnson, and wide receiver, Darius Slayton, entered the NFL draft following the season. Furthermore, Auburn lost two of their top receivers in 2018 due to significant injuries and failed to find suitable replacements. Stidham’s dip in production raised concerns with NFL evaluators and caused Stidham to slide out of first round projections and into the fourth round.
Jarrett Stidham and His NFL Promise
Despite being selected in the fourth round, Stidham was, at one point, considered to be a first round pick. Players who receive first round talent grades simply do not lose that talent after one down season. Stidham rightfully slid in the draft due to a lack of production, but this does not mean his talent vanished or that his ceiling has yet changed.
As a 2019 rookie, Stidham had an impressive preseason for New England as he completed 67.8% of his passes, throwing for 731 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception through four games. Additionally, Stidham also added 88 rushing yards on 17 attempts through that same stretch. Along with solid game management skills under center, Stidham brings more athleticism than people may initially think. While his rushing stats are not that of a run first, mobile quarterback, Stidham did post a solid 4.81 40-yard dash time at the combine. A time which is similar to that of Josh Allen’s 4.75 and Patrick Mahomes’ 4.80, but better than Jimmy Garoppolo’s 4.97.
While Jarrett Stidham, at this point, is not a proven NFL starter, he has shown his ability to be a strong game manager with the athleticism to extend plays. Patriots fans should be excited to see their new-look team as Belichick and Josh McDaniels will reshape the offense around what Stidham does best. Few are confident in New England making the 2020 postseason, but this upcoming season should be looked at as a foundational building year needed for the team’s future success.
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