NFL Rumors: Jarrett Stidham To Start If Cam Newton Can't vs. Broncos

If Cam Newton can't play in Week 5, the New England Patriots reportedly have their plan in place.

Second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start if Newton is unavailable against the Denver Broncos, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

If Cam Newton is unable to play this week, whenever the Patriots end up playing, Jarrett Stidham would be in line to start I'm hearing. Newton has been taking part in team zoom meetings.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 9, 2020

During New England's 26-10 loss to the Chiefs last Monday night, both Brian Hoyer and Stidham got the opportunity to play in the first game Newton had missed after testing positive for COVID-19 the previous Friday. Hoyer was pulled late in the third quarter after completing 15 of 24 passes for 130 yards and one interception (his stat line doesn't quite show how poorly Hoyer really played in Week 4). Stidham entered and played a little over one quarter of football, completing five of 13 passes for one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six (and was 100 percent Julian Edelman's fault and not Stidham's).

With Stidham under center, the offense looked a bit more fluid and dynamic than when Hoyer was playing. So if Newton -- who could potentially get cleared prior to the game as there will have been 10 days since his positive COVID-19 test -- can't play, Stidham will get the start against a Denver team that may get their second-year quarterback back in the starting lineup as well with Drew Lock, who has missed the last two games due to a shoulder injury.

On Tuesday, New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the third Patriots player to test positive. As a result, New England shut their facilities down for three days this week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) and could potentially shut down on Saturday, which is seemingly their last and only opportunity this week to hold a practice before they face the Broncos. The NFL already rescheduled their game from Sunday to Monday.

Although they seem to have a plan in place if Newton cannot play, holding no practices won't make the short-term transition at quarterback very smooth.

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