Report: Jarrett Stidham to Miss Several Weeks After Undergoing Back Surgery
It appears that New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham will not be seeing any on-field action during 2021 training camp. In fact, it may be well into the regular season before he returns to the football field.
As reported on Friday evening by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Stidham underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair an injury to his back. Rapoport added that the third-year quarterback is expected to return in “roughly 12 weeks or so.” The injury is not considered to be season-ending.
Stidham has yet to participate in training camp practices for New England. He has been ineligible to practice, having been placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on July 22. He had previously been dealing with shoulder and back pain when throwing.
On Wednesday, the Patriots signed former practice squad QB Jake Dolegala in an attempt to add an additional arm during camp. Dolegala joined Cam Newton, Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer on the quarterback depth chart.
It has been widely speculated that the Patriots would strongly consider carrying three quarterbacks on their 2021 53-man roster. With Stidham likely headed for an injury designation, it may open the door for either Hoyer or Dolegala to make their case for a roster spot.
