Team news: Denver Broncos | Page 22

Jarrett Stidham is not Plan A, B, C or D for the Patriots in 2021 as they search for a long-term answer at quarterback. That's the takeaway I have this week as Bill Belichick is reportedly set to roll with Cam Newton as his starter against Buffalo on Monday night. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Patriots are simply playing out the stretch.

After they were knocked from postseason contention last week, New England will simply be playing for pride when they take on the Buffalo Bills, who have already clinched the AFC East for the first time since 1995, the story said. This is obviously the time of year when teams evaluate talent, so based on the Pats sticking with Newton at QB, it doesn't seem to bode well for Stidham.

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton admitted he hasn't played as well as he hoped in 2020, but he said Monday that he still has "a lot of football left."

Related players: Jarrett Stidham

With the Patriots now out of the playoffs, it makes sense to see what else they have at the position. The story said coach Bill Belichick left open the possibility of giving Stidham playing time with the team out of playoff contention. Newton is a free agent after the season and plans to keep playing in 2021, the story said. He explained that one of his goals in 2020 was to make it through the season healthy after previously being sidelined with shoulder and foot injuries.

Mike McCarthy said Cowboys QB Andy Dalton practiced today. He has been cleared. He was a full participant.

Related players: Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush, Ben DiNucci

Dalton is expected to start in Week 11 even though many who follow the team seem to think the team would be much better off going with Gilbert, who kept the Cowboys in the game against the Steelers in Week 9.

The Cowboys plan to give Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush reps in practice and pick one of them at week’s end to start at QB against the Steelers.

Related players: Ben DiNucci, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup.

The big news is it won’t be rookie DiNucci, who struggled Sunday night against the Eagles. As Pelissero added, the Cowboys are playing to experience at the position. We'll continue to monitor heading into Week 9, but it's probably safe to assume much of the same no matter who is named the starter, if not mostly because of the tough matchup against the Steelers. It continues to be a big downgrade for players like Elliott, Cooper and Gallup.

The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Andy Dalton for a second straight game but not because of the concussion he sustained two weeks ago. Dalton will be placed on the reserve/COVID 19 list on Tuesday.

Related players: Ben DiNucci

That will knock him out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple sources, Archer went on to say. DiNucci gets a terrible matchup against Pittsburgh's defense this week. It could be a slow-go for any Cowboy fantasy player this week.