Belichick: Jones has made 'dramatic improvement' in offseason

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) with the ball during the Patriots OTA's at Gillette stadium. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots HC Bill Belichick: QB Mac Jones has made 'dramatic improvement' in offseason

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 7/26/22

Mac Jones helped lead the New England Patriots back to the postseason during the 2021 campaign after a brief one-year hiatus. The Alabama product was named a Pro Bowler as a rookie and finished the year with a 67.6% completion percentage, 3,801 passing yards and 22 touchdown tosses against 13 interceptions.

Still, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick saw areas where Jones could improve over the spring and summer. As training camp opens up, the legendary coach is speaking high praise for the second-year signal-caller.

More from Belichick: "His physical work and conditioning, working on his mechanics, working on his footwork, working on his understanding of our offense...defenses...He's made tremendous strides. He did a great job last year, but he's starting from a much, much higher point." https://t.co/ZQiwOTEwF3
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) July 26, 2022

New England's backfield tandem of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson remains with Jones, as do the top four receiving options in terms of targets and receiving yards from 2021 (Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor). The Patriots' biggest offseason addition however is arguably wideout DeVante Parker, a former 1,000-yard receiver who, while he's had an extensive injury history, is potentially the explosive option downfield that the team was missing last year.

Jones' projected offensive line stays primarily the same as the faces from last season, with the only new addition being 29th overall draft pick Cole Strange at left guard.

More must-reads: