Patriots OC Josh McDaniels: Offense 'makes more sense' to Cam Newton this year

Former NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton endured a rocky first season with the New England Patriots and battled COVID-19 during the 2020 campaign but returned to the club via a one-year contract in March. 

Per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told reporters Wednesday that Newton is already showing signs of improvement as the veteran signal-caller sits above rookie Mac Jones on the depth chart heading into preseason action. 

"He just knows much more about we’re doing. It’s a lot less new learning every day, more repetition of things he already understands. … Things slow down. Things make more sense," McDaniels said of Newton. "There were things I was telling him to do last year that he didn’t quite understand, but I was telling him, ‘Hey, do it this way. Try and do it that way. Make him the Mike, whatever.’ He was trying to do everything I said.

"Now, he actually understands the why on most things. That is really the goal for the quarterbacks — when you’re out there trying to read defenses on a play-to-play basis, if you don’t understand why we’re doing something or why you’re supposed to make the protection slide here or there, it’s a tough position to play. The game has slowed down for him. The offense makes a lot of sense. Like I said, there’s a lot less new learning for him."

The Patriots open the exhibition portion of the calendar against the Washington Football Team on Aug. 12. While Jones should get more snaps than Newton in that contest, the starting gig for the beginning of the regular season remains Newton's to lose until further notice.

McDaniels' latest comments suggest Jones may want to get comfortable standing on the sidelines.