Patriots’ Mac Jones ranked 21st among NFL starting quarterbacks

All eyes will be on New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones this season. Entering his third year in the NFL, after all, the former first-round draft pick will be under quite a bit of pressure.

His 2022 sophomore season, after all, was a major disappointment; the youngster failed to build on an encouraging rookie season under new coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. With veteran coordinator Bill O’Brien now added to the mix, the hope is that Jones can bounce back.

Ultimately , time will tell whether or not he can do that. For now, however, his future remains uncertain — something reflected by his ranking on Pro Football Focus’ list of starting quarterbacks.

21. MAC JONES, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Bringing in real coaching on offense has the potential to be huge for Jones. As underwhelming as last season was, it’s important to remember that Jones earned an 80.0 overall PFF grade as a rookie, finishing just outside the top 10 of eligible quarterbacks that year. He doesn’t have the dynamic athleticism of Justin Fields or the arm of Trevor Lawrence, but he has already shown he can be a very high-level distributor of the football and a better player than many give him credit for.

Appearing in 14 games in 2022 and missing three contests with a high ankle sprain, Jones completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. New England went 8-9 on the year while oftentimes fielding an offense that can best be described as “uninspiring.”