When the New England Patriots played in Week 1, they did not have quarterback Jarrett Stidham on the active roster. He was a healthy scratch, which meant that he was the team’s third-string quarterback. That’s a long fall for a player who seemed to be in the mix for the starting job when Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Cam Newton won the starting quarterback job and Brian Hoyer beat out Stidham for the backup role. Patriots quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch was complimentary of Stidham’s work this offseason, even with the 2019 fourth-round pick’s stock fading.