New England Patriots OTAs began Thursday at the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, and much of the attention has been centered on the quarterback competition.
The four quarterbacks on the roster -- Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones -- are all participating in drills.
Jones is of particular interest to fans given his draft position and the possibility of him winning the starting QB job entering Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season in September.
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Patriots keep rookie tradition alive with Mac Jones at OTAs
Here's a video of Jones throwing some passes during Thursday's session:
It's been a while since the Patriots had a real QB competition. Newton is the leader entering the offseason activities, but after a poor showing in his first year with the team in 2020, he'll need to play a lot better to keep his job into the season.
Luckily for these quarterbacks, the Patriots bolstered their offense during the offseason with the free-agent additions of tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, and trading for offensive tackle Trent Brown.
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There are several other intriguing roster battles that will develop over the course of training camp and the preseason, but none will be more fascinating than the quarterback competition and whether Jones will win it.