There was a significant shakeup to the quarterback reps at Wednesday’s Patriots practice
On Tuesday, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told reporters that he expected the team would undergo a similar process to last week to choose this week’s starting quarterback. Head coach Bill Belichick echoed that sentiment on Wednesday morning, saying that “we’ll see how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go,” when asked about picking a quarterback for Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
With that approach last week, Mac Jones took the early reps in practice and went on to start Sunday’s game. If this Wednesday’s practice is any indication, this week will look a little different.
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During the brief window of practice that was open to the media on Wednesday, Jones didn’t throw any passes. He stood to the side while Bailey Zappe took the heavy majority of the reps, with Malik Cunningham mixing in for a few throws (Cunningham was still wearing ai wide receiver jersey for practice, not a non-contact jersey like the rest of the quarterbacks). Like Jones, Will Grier also didn’t attempt a pass.
As was the case last week, it’s important to consider the context of the situation. This was one five-ish minute period of a two-plus hour practice. The team wasn’t doing team drills, rather the quarterbacks were throwing to individuals running routes on air. It’s very possible Jones went back under center after the media left.
That being said, while this one little window is hardly a guarantee the Patriots are making a quarterback change, it’s certainly notable. Last week they showed the media Jones, and Jones started. This week, Zappe was the one throwing in front of reporters. Following the same pattern, he could be in line to start on Sunday.
The Patriots had nearly perfect practice attendance on Wednesday. Wide receivers Ty Montgomery and Demario Douglas, the latter of whom left last week’s game early with a head injury, were the only two players not spotted.
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