One of the more intriguing aspects of the Patriots summer workouts is going to be the quarterback position. More specifically, curious minds will be monitoring the progression that Cam Newton makes heading into his second year in the system and, of course, how first-round rookie Mac Jones progresses during his introduction into the NFL. While most of New England will be carefully going over each player with a fine-tooth comb, they do actually need to be on the field to be able to assess their play.
During Friday's OTA session that was open to the media, those on the scene in Foxborough report that Newton was unable to finish practice due to injury. Newton suffered a slight bone bruise after banging his hand on a helmet, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. While the injury is reportedly not considered major, it may limit Newton's workload until the start of training camp.
After showing some of his teammates the injury, Newton took a knee and was a spectator as Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer alternated through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. As Newton sat out of these drills, Mike Reiss of ESPN notes that Jones led off the session with Stidham and Hoyer following behind him. While the first-round rookie has received strong praise as of late, he nearly threw an interception during 11-on-11 drills that was dropped by linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Jones was also said to be wearing a compression sleeve on his calf, suggesting that he also may be working through some bumps and bruises as well.
