Jonnu Smith went up to snag a toe-tapping grab along the sideline to help out Cam Newton. The New England Patriots quarterback had a pretty sharp practice, but this wasn’t one of his best throws, too high and too far outside. It didn’t matter. Smith turned a bad moment into a brilliant one, and caught it for a 15-yard pickup and a big play during 11-on-11 drills.
Was it a precursor of what’s to come in 2021 for Newton, a quarterback who so badly looked like he needed help in 2020? After all, Smith was one of Bill Belichick’s big-budget signings at the skill positions, where New England sorely needed help last year.