Getty Jarrett Stidham completed 14 passes in his preseason debut.
To the surprise of many on Friday afternoon, the New England Patriots placed Tom Brady on the injury report with what the team is calling right elbow soreness.
With Brady officially listed as questionable, a rarity for the quarterback in his 20th season, the Patriots may be forced to scramble in order to prepare one of their backups for action. Tom Brady has started all but four games over the last 11 years, the same four games for which he was suspended as fallout from the “Deflategate” scandal.
Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett filled in admirably in his absence, but its clear the Patriots offense operates differently when Brady isn’t under center.
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If this latest setback is serious enough to force Brady to the sidelines on Sunday, an unlikely yet still remotely possible outcome, the Patriots do have the necessary tools to get the offense rolling. Here’s how New England looks at quarterback behind Tom Brady.
Jarrett Stidham
The first backup to Tom Brady is rookie Jarrett Stidham. Considered by many to be the successor to Brady, Stidham was drafted by New England in the fourth round of 2019 draft after a successful career at Auburn.
Stidham showed good poise in leading the team during the preseason but did experience a rocky start in his regular-season debut by throwing a pick-6 to Jets safety Jamal Adams back in Week 3.
Stidham has attempted just one pass since Week 3, an incompletion during a Week 5 win over Washington. He also handled mop-up duties against the Jets in Week 7. Though he is still extremely raw, there’s optimism Stidham could be ready to lead the Patriots offense in the near future.
Cody Kessler
The Patriots are carrying a third-string this season. Kessler was signed, released, then signed again by New England this season and has helped run the scout team in practice. With prior starting experience in the NFL, Kessler would be a steady backup to help ease Stidham into action in case of an emergency.
Bill Belichick has been pleased with Kessler during his time in New England and he has become a strong voice in the quarterback room as well. He hasn’t been active yet this season, but it might not be a bad idea for New England to do so should Brady play and aggravate his elbow injury further.
Julian Edelman
Should a real emergency arise, the Patriots have former college quarterback Julian Edelman to lean on if necessary. Edelman showed off his arm by launching a touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett last Sunday and is 5 for 6 in his NFL career as a passer.
As a slot receiver with knowledge of the Patriots routes, he would be able to know where receivers are before those routes finish materializing. Besides, he has experience at the position, he can be mobile if he has to, and is definitely poised to tackle the responsibility should the Patriots need him under center.
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