What Patriots think of Mac Jones in Bill O’Brien's offense

Quarterback Mac Jones seems to be impressing members of the New England Patriots working under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien amid organized team activities. 

"I talked to somebody close to Jones in New England and he said that [Jones] is throwing the ball well, showed up in good shape, and he’s been in good command of the offense," ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported during a "SportsCenter" appearance, per Hayden Bird of Boston.com. 

New England replaced reported offensive play-caller and well-known defensive mind Matt Patricia with O’Brien after Jones and company routinely struggled playing under Patricia's guidance throughout the 2022 season. Jones often failed to hide his displeasure with at least Patricia during games, and ESPN stats show the 24-year-old who earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie ended his second pro campaign ranked 28th out of 31 qualified signal-callers with a 36.1 adjusted QBR. 

Jones may have indirectly taken a shot at Patricia earlier this week when he noted that "it's been really good" being part of a "normal" offense this spring. Fowler indicated coaches have noticed a positive change in Jones heading into the first full weekend of June.

"The Patriots really believe that they’re in a good spot here with the offensive identity under Bill O’Brien," Fowler continued during the segment. "Didn’t have much of that last year."

It's unclear how close, if at all, head coach Bill Belichick came to trading Jones ahead of this year's draft, and Belichick theoretically could make Jones compete with 2022 rookie Bailey Zappe for the starting job this summer. For now, it sounds like Jones is the leader in the clubhouse to be atop the depth chart and in the lineup when New England opens the season with a home game against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10. 

With that said, Jones may find he's playing for his New England future this fall. 

"...They believe there will be no excuses," Fowler added about what New England coaches expect from Jones. "They can ball and put up some offense this year."