The New England Patriots are the new betting favorites to sign Andy Dalton following his release from the Cincinnati Bengals.
But Dalton's availability doesn't change how they feel about their current quarterback.
That's what ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Friday morning on "Get Up!", noting the Patriots still believe second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham can be their starter following Tom Brady's free-agent departure.
"They are really intrigued to see what he can do," Reiss said of Stidham. "So specific to Andy Dalton, I didn't get any sense from anyone around the Patriots that when he became available (Thursday) that there was an aggressive push to sort of see where that would lead."
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A report surfaced Thursday that the Patriots are interested in signing Dalton. But according to Reiss, New England's confidence in Stidham is such that he'd still be their No. 1 quarterback even if they brought Dalton in.
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"If anything, it would be a conversation of due diligence and really asking the question, 'How would bringing in a player like Dalton supplement what they have in Stidham?' not supplant him," Reiss said.
Imagine if Bill Belichick signed a nine-year veteran with three Pro Bowl appearances only to have him back up a 23-year-old QB with four career pass attempts?
The Patriots avoided taking a QB in the 2020 NFL Draft for a reason, though, and clearly see Stidham's upside as a long-term starter -- not that that totally rules out Dalton, who would provide an upgraded veteran insurance policy along with current backup Brian Hoyer.
"There is still a blind spot there for the Patriots," Reiss added. "Until a quarterback actually goes out there and does it, you do need to protect yourself."