Getty Jake Dolegala
The New England Patriots carried Jake Dolegala on their practice squad much of 2020 and into 2021 before releasing him in April. The 6’7″ quarterback has signed with the Green Bay Packers, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
The Packers added a tryout QB, Jake Dolegala (18), for minicamp
Dolegala is rocking the No. 18 jersey with the Packers and hoping to stick in Green Bay after the Patriots cut him loose, deciding to go with Cam Newton, rookie Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham, and veteran Brian Hoyer.
Will the Packers’ Situation Be Any Better for Dolegala?
The Packers quarterback situation is in an odd state. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is unhappy with the organization and wants to be traded. In an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne, Rodgers spoke explicitly about his displeasure with the franchise and clarified his issues aren’t with the team’s young quarterback Jordan Love.
My situation has never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan (Love). I love Jordan. He’s a great kid. A lot of fun to work together. I love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. Incredible, incredible 16 years. It’s just kind of about a philosophy, and maybe forgetting it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.
You can see the entire interview in the video below.
Love was selected in the first round in 2020, so he would seemingly be the heir apparent. If you look at the depth chart on Packers.com, Love and Rodgers are the only guys listed.
If Rodgers gets his wish and is traded, unless Green Bay gets a young quarterback in return, they would only have Love and Dolegala on the roster at the position.
That would suggest, Dolegala may have a better chance of sticking in Green Bay than he did with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots’ QB Room Isn’t So Bad, Per One Expert
While many others are down on the Patriots’ QB situation, former pro and current analyst Chris Simms is a bit more optimistic. He still ranks Cam Newton as a Top-20 quarterback in his latest rankings. Here’s what he said in a recent reveal video.
Cam Newton is still one of the 20 best quarterbacks in football for my money. It’s not about the quarterback stats all the time, it’s the effect you have on the football game. He’s a little bit of a force of nature that way and I think that sometimes gets swept under the rug. Cam Newton still has got one of the greatest presence of all quarterbacks on the NFL field. He’s a great leader, he’s a great worker. You have to get over the passing numbers at times, and I understand work needs to be done. He’s one of the best running quarterbacks in football still, and his skillset running the football is one of the things that made that not-very-talented offense somewhat of a threat in certain weeks and it certainly made them one of the best running offenses in football.
When you group everything Newton brings to the table in with Jones’ upside, the presence of Stidham and the mentorship of Hoyer, there are several intriguing elements in the Patriots’ QB room.
Overall, it was far too much for Dolegala to ever get a chance to shine.