The Patriots Quarterback Room.

People are wondering what do the Patriots have at quarterback. At the moment there is a lot of uncertainty and even more room for development. That's what the Patriots have, take a look at their depth chart.

Stidham 

Jarrett Stidham should've been a first round selection out of Auburn. Somehow he fell to the fourth round. There is a lot to like about Stidham. How he stands and moves in the pocket. How well he throws the ball. Stidham showed great chemistry with Jakobi Meyers in 2019, and then got a year of practice working with the first string while Tom was banged up. The Patriots are counting on him as they brought in his go to guy Will Hastings.

Big Blue Views' Mark Schofield wrote the following about Stidham:

"Stidham has the tools to become a starter in this league, it is just a matter of getting him into the right offense and situations, with some weapons around him, to achieve early success. He was at his best (Auburn in 2017) when the team did not ask a ton from him.

Stidham is a fairly scheme diverse quarterback, who can execute on timing and rhythm throws, on vertical concepts, and can show enough athleticism to extend plays and deliver in scramble drill situations.For a team that is looking to develop a future starter, and not draft an immediate one, Stidham would be a solid value selection."

The Patriots wanted to sit Stidham for a second year and still might with the addition of Brian Hoyer. Hoyer was brought in for a chance to complete, and Patriots here Rob Ninkovich believes he will start.

Hoyer

The Patriots have Brian Hoyer, a very intelligent game manager who doesn't make a lot of mistakes and is the biggest reason the Patriots win superbowl 53. 

Hoyer has shown promise in Houston and Cleveland. Especially in 2014 were he pulled the Browns out of the basement to a 7-6 record. Cleveland is a dumpster, so that is a feat all in it's own.

Hoyer has never been in a good situation, with a good team, head coach and coordinator. He has that in New England, along with opportunity to compete with for the starting job. Hoyer is currently looking like a candidate to do what mediocre quarterback Trent Dilfer did for the Ravens in 2000. Win some jewlery, all he has to do is game manage and rely on a stellar defense.

Peter Panacy Of Fan side wrotevof Hoyer, 

"But Hoyer, who also understands and knows coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offensive system, is a capable and proven backup with moderate starting experience. Hoyer started 13 games with the Cleveland Browns back in 2014, then started nine the following year with the Houston Texans. The San Francisco 49ers even brought Hoyer aboard as a temporary starter in 2017 before letting him go in favor of Jimmy Garoppoloin that year’s trade with New England." Hoyer is "someone who can at least push Stidham during training camp and into the regular season" for the starting job.

Hoyer and Stidham aren't the only quarterbacks on the roster. They have two dark horses looking to prove themselves.

Smith

J'Mar Smith was the C-USA player of the year. Smith is a dual threat quarterback, which will help if the Patriots want to adapt more of the air raid or RPO plays. 

Tony Pauline of PFN wrote the following about Smith. 

"Athletic quarterback with a next-level arm. Powers the ball into targets, easily airs out deep throws and spreads the ball around to all his receivers. Puts touch on passes and throws a catchable ball. Effectively picks up yardage with his legs." He has "the tools to play in the NFL, but he is more thrower than passer. He’ll need a lot of work on his game from the ground up, but Smith is worth practice-squad consideration this summer."

Being a undrafted free agent, it is most certain that he may need development. Sometimes the amount of development needed is misjudged though. Just look at how many undrafted players make the Patriots or get stolen from the Patriots practice squad to make other teams.

Lewerke

The Patriots have one other quarterback. Brian Lewerke from Michigan State quarterback he had some injuries which caused his draft stock to fall and there is concern about his decision making. The Patriots seem to like quarterbacks who have slipped in the draft for one reason or another. 

Here is what Schofield wrote about Lewerke:

"One thing that stands out immediately when watching him is that he is a true dual-threat quarterback, dangerous with both his arms and his legs. Lewerke can make some very impressive throws while on the move, but also has the ability to slide and extend in the pocket, and can even carve up defenses when forced to tuck the ball down and continue as a runner.

His ability to throw on the move is a bit of a double-edged sword, as he trusts his legs perhaps too much and while that bails him out of situations on Saturdays, it is a different story when you’re trying to outrun the Khalil Mack’s of the world on Sunday afternoons. 

He shows good play speed and processing speed on West Coast passing concepts, shows pretty good deep accuracy, and can make some good reads and decisions when the post-snap look is different from the pre-snap look he was expecting."

The Patriots have two guys who should be ready to be back ups in the league. Hoyer should be able to start for the Patriots, while it is a question to how ready Stidham is early on. Smith and Lewerke could both be developed into back up quarterbacks that start for someone else down the road. 

With the Way the NFL is however, you never know who could be the starter of the Patriots by the end of the 2020 season.