Jarrett Stidham has received plenty of support as he prepares to take over for Tom Brady as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.
From college teammates like Darius Slayton to current teammates like Devin McCourty, there's no shortage of Stidham believers out there. In fact, another Patriots teammate recently showed faith in the 23-year-old Auburn product.
Appearing on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria," running back Rex Burkhead raved about Stidham's ability to quickly pick up the Patriots offense during his rookie year.
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"Very impressed," Burkhead said when asked about Stidham. "Last year even though he didn’t step on the field that much, just seeing his improvement every day on the practice field, in meetings. He’s a very humble guy and he came in eager to work right away and picked it up so quickly. I think that is what struck me, how quickly he picked up the offense from the get-go.
"He’s out there making calls, making adjustments in audibles like he has been in this system for a while. I’m excited for him. Excited for his opportunity. Whoever is at quarterback — whether it’s him, Hoy (Brian Hoyer), whoever — just ready to follow them."
Unless the Patriots making a surprising move for a quarterback (the Cam Newton rumors continue to fly), Stidham should have a real opportunity to prove himself in 2020. Considering what we keep hearing about his work ethic, perhaps moving on from Brady won't be as hard as we once thought it would be.