Newton relayed Monday that coach Bill Belichick hasn't told him if he'll start the Patriots' regular-season opener against the Dolphins, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

EDGE Analysis

Of course, the reports also notes that Belichick has indicated multiple times that Newton is considered the team's starting quarterback for the time being, with the caveat being that whenever first-rounder Mac Jones "is ready to challenge and compete, then we'll see how that goes." Per Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Newton "had his best practice in a week" Tuesday, completing 13 of 15 passes (including one drop) in team drills. Jones was also sharp Tuesday, going 13-for-14 in the drills, while mixing in with the starters at certain points of the practice. As things stand, Jones still has a chance to make up ground in advance of Week 1, but he'd need to make a strong push in the next couple of weeks in order to overtake Newton before New England's opener.

Newton completed four of seven passes for 49 yards in Thursday's 22-13 preseason win over Washington. He didn't have a touchdown, turnover or rushing attempt.

EDGE Analysis

Newton appeared to fumble on the opening drive when Chase Young came around the edge and knocked out the football, but the play was ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots' offense moved the ball better on Newton's second and final possession, which ended in a field goal. Rookie Mac Jones came in under center after that point and led New England to a pair of field goals through the end of the third quarter. The quarterback competition between Newton and Jones is still unsettled, but Newton remains the leader in the clubhouse heading into preseason Week 2 against the Eagles.

Newton and Mac Jones are both expected to play in New England's preseason opener against Washington on Thursday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

EDGE Analysis

Newton likely will get the start and play one or two drives before handing things off to Jones. Early reports out of training camp have the veteran on track to defend his starting job, but there's still plenty of time for the rookie to make a move, starting with Thursday's exhibition against Washington.

ESPN's Mike Reiss indicates that during the Patriots' first two full-pads practices, it "sometimes looks like the team is running separate attacks" when either Newton or first-rounder Mac Jones are handling the team's QB snaps.

EDGE Analysis

With that in mind, Reiss notes that "the threat of Newton as a ball carrier with the read-option is prevalent -- and effective at times -- while Jones often looks like he's running the more traditional Patriots passing offense." To date, coach Bill Belichick has made it clear that that he views Newton as the team's current starter, though this is a situation that remains worth monitoring in the coming weeks, with Jones still having some time to gain ground on on his veteran counterpart in advance of Week 1.

Through the first two practices of New England's training camp, Newton has "led off every team period," Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

As could be expected, 2021 first-rounder Mac Jones followed Newton during drills. At this stage, it's too early to get a clear read on the Patriots' ongoing signal-caller competition, with Howe noting at this early juncture of training camp that "strictly by performance, the QB battle has been a draw." For the time being at least, the fact that Newton is taking team reps ahead of Jones is indicative of his current depth chart standing above the rookie.

The stage is set for Newton and first-round draft pick Mac Jones to compete for the Patriots' starting QB job during training camp, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

EDGE Analysis

Coach Bill Belichick has indicated that Newton is viewed as the team's top signal caller for now but acknowledged that Jones or even Jarrett Stidham will have the chance to be viewed as candidates to supplant the incumbent starter once they "are ready." Reiss notes that during spring practices, Jones displayed good "timing, anticipation and accuracy" when he was on his game, while Newton, who had an uneven 2020 campaign "looked more comfortable." Following an offseason in which the Patriots re-tooled their roster, notably adding several pass-catching options, much of the intrigue as training camp unfolds will focus on which quarterback will be under center in Week 1.

Newton was the first quarterback to take snaps throughout the Patriots' spring drills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though 2021 first-rounder Mac Jones -- who was next up for snaps in the team's QB drills -- eventually could make a run at the starting role in the coming months, Newton remains atop the depth chart as things stand. Compared to last season, when the veteran signal-caller didn't catch on with New England until the end of June, Newton is "way ahead of where he was last year at this time," coach Bill Belichick noted. With that in mind, it's going to take a strong training camp/preseason effort from Jones for the rookie to have a chance to supplant Newton, at least in the short term.

Coach Bill Belichick confirmed Monday that Newton (hand) will be on the practice field this week for the Patriots' mandatory minicamp, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Newton sustained a bone bruise on his right throwing hand June 4 after making contact with a defender's helmet, but the issue was never considered serious and didn't prevent the quarterback from taking part in New England's OTA session this past weekend. The 32-year-old still looks to be in a good place health-wise a week and a half after suffering the injury, so he should be in line to handle most of the first-team work during the three-day minicamp. Assuming he stays relatively healthy through the end of the preseason, Newton should head into Week 1 as New England's starter, with first-round pick Mac Jones and likely one of Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer serving as depth options at quarterback.

Newton (hand) is expected to try practicing during the Patriots' three-day minicamp this week, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Newton sustained a bone bruise on his throwing hand June 4, but he was present for practice Friday and looked good while throwing passes. Coach Bill Belichick has said that the quarterback's injury isn't considered serious, so it's unlikely that the injury will impact his Week 1 availability.

Coach Bill Belichick indicated Thursday that while Newton (hand) won't partake in the Patriots practice Thursday, his hand injury is "getting better," Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Newton's suffered a bone bruise on his throwing hand last week and hasn't taken part in any practice activity since then. However, it sounds like the issue is coming along fairly well, so there doesn't seem to be any concern at this point regarding his Week 1 status.