AFC East coach believes Patriots will start Jarrett Stidham over Cam Newton

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Could the New England Patriots still opt to start second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham over Cam Newton? One head coach in New England’s division reportedly believes so.

According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, an AFC East coach told her that the Patriots are going to keep three quarterbacks but doesn’t see Newton starting in Week 1. The head coach also said that they know for a fact New England “loves” Jarrett Stidham.

Now, based on what this head coach is saying, could Stidham be the team’s starting quarterback? Without doubt. On Sunday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported that Newton wasn’t guaranteed the starting job.

The Patriots beat writer also added that Stidham’s performance wasn’t tied to New England signing the former MVP signal-caller.

Therefore, when you combine those things plus Newton signing a one-year incentivized deal worth $7.5 million, there’s always a chance that Stidham could be the starter.

However, it’s going to be tough for the second-year quarterback to beat out a motivated Newton, who is looking to prove his doubters wrong and re-establish his dominance.

If Newton can play like how he did in 2018, where he completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, then he should have the Patriots in playoff contention.

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