Seven session into their training camp, all eyes remain on the New England Patriots’ quarterbacks. One key element when it comes to assessing the competition between incumbent Cam Newton and first-round rookie Mac Jones is the number of opportunities each of them receives during each practice.
As charted by Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Newton has attempted 122 passes in competitive team drills compared to Jones’ 132. Against the starting defense in 11-on-11 situations, the veteran has thrown the ball 58 times with the youngster checking in at 50.
As offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pointed out after Wednesday’s session, however, the rep count does not necessarily reflect who is up leading the race for the starting quarterback position — or any other on the roster, for that matter.