Cam Newton did not finish the Patriots’ Friday OTA practice after suffering a hand injury, putting his availability for the remainder of the Pats’ offseason program in question.
This injury is believed to be minor, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes Newton suffered a "slight bone bruise" on his right hand. Newton banged his hand against a teammate’s helmet during practice. Although this almost certainly will not affect Newton’s status for training camp, the malady could sideline him from some of the team’s remaining offseason work.
The Patriots have four more OTA days next week before their three-day minicamp, which is scheduled to run from June 15-17. With Newton in competition with first-round pick Mac Jones for New England’s starting job, any extended absence stands to factor into this equation. After the Jones draft choice, Bill Belichick declared Newton would remain the starter until further notice.
The former No. 1 overall pick struggled in his first Patriots season, continuing a post-Super Bowl 50 descent that has heavily involved injuries. The Pats re-signed Newton this offseason, but the one-year deal came with only $3.5M fully guaranteed. They then used the No. 15 overall pick on Jones. New England has 2019 fourth-rounder Jarrett Stidham and the recently re-signed Brian Hoyer on its roster as well.
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