The quarterback battle in New England has officially ended. According to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe, the Patriots have released veteran quarterback Cam Newton. This comes as all NFL teams are required to trim down their preseason rosters to the opening 53 men. With Newton gone, this now points to first-round rookie Mac Jones -- who competed with Newton this summer -- being named the starter to begin the 2021 regular season.
Related players: Brian Hoyer, Jarrett Stidham
It wasn't that long ago the Patriots said someone would have to pass Newton in camp to earn the starting job. But it was just over the weekend where the team changed their tune, saying decisions needed to be made about the starting QB job among other positions. We considered Newton a sneaky pick, figuring he had a little more upside than most first-round QB picks usually offer. Now Jones takes over. He looked impressive at times but will likely take some lumps this season as most rookies do. But he'll at least offer lower-end QB2 fantasy value and could enter the streaming conversation if the Patriots are more pass-heavy than expected. He doesn't offer much as a runner, though. Damien Harris gets a bump due to higher touchdown expectations but he hasn't had much of a role in the passing game. That's James White's role, and Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor have produced in camp as well. Jakobi Meyers may be able to produce fantasy WR3 numbers with Jones at quarterback, while Jonnu Smith seems to be best positioned to make a run at TE1 numbers.
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