Patriots Found Ideal Backup QB in Behren Morton

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Behren Morton (15) throws against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Patriots Found Ideal Backup QB in Behren Morton

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Aug 24, 2026 9:15 AM ET

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FOXBORO --- There isn't a quarterback competition by any stretch of the imagination for the New England Patriots.

We know that Drake Maye has the starting job locked up for the longterm future and Tommy DeVito has played his way into the QB2 job. But Behren Morton, the seventh-string rookie who's gotten limited snaps in practice, has done more than enough to stick around this year.

With the NFL allowing teams to roster an emergency third quarterback, it gives the Patriots some roster flexibility when it comes to keeping Morton on the roster. In other years, the team might be compelled to part ways with Morton, considering his path to the starting lineup is virtually impossible.

Now that quarterbacks like Morton can be in uniform, it could give him a spot on the 53-man roster. And now that he also showed his prowess as a backup punter in Saturday's preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he could become a real backup swiss army knife.

Morton looked good in the 24-21 win, throwing for 129 yards and the game-winning touchdown to undrafted wideout Nick DeGennaro. The final drive showed off Morton's accuracy, as he hit six passes to lead the Patriots to their first win of the 2026 season.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think playing quarterback, especially playing in the NFL, you dream of this moment, of leading your team down to have a game-winning drive," Morton said postgame. "It goes back to all the hard work that we've put in through the spring when we got here, summer, and then obviously training camp. To go out there and do it, being well-prepared from coach (Josh) McDaniels, for the offense, that was big for us tonight."

At Texas Tech, Morton was a great quarterback when it came to moving in and out of the pocket to extend plays. He's been able to show that during his extended preseason reps, and while he might not be able to show off those skills in the regular season, he already has the look of a McDaniels quarterback prototype.

Morton's Mindset Helping Him In Rookie Summer

He's also got the coach speak drilled into him, knowing there's plenty to correct from Saturday.

"There's a lot to correct from today that we can get a lot better from," he said. "So maybe we don't put ourselves in a situation where we need a game-winning drive, and we don't have to be in that position."

If the Patriots decide to keep Morton as their emergency third quarterback, if anything happened to regular punter Bryce Baringer, he wouldn't be allowed to punt in a game. That could lead to some funky gametime decisions from the coaching staff, should Baringer ever go down.

But for now, the Patriots seem perfectly set with the trio of quarterbacks they have right now. If Morton can go into each week and play Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence or any of the other quarterbacks on New England's roster, that draft pick can already be written off as a win.