With Tom Brady nursing a typically mysterious injury and backup Jarrett Stidham struggling in a brief appearance Sunday, the New England Patriots apparently decided they could use some additional help at quarterback.
They signed Cody Kessler, the veteran who most recently played for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was in uniform, wearing No. 6, during practice Wednesday.
Although Brady, too, practiced Wednesday, this is typically the time of the season when his name appears on the injury list with an ailment of some sort. Most recently, it was with a “calf injury.”
Stidham made his NFL debut Sunday as the Patriots led the New York Jets 30-7, but his appearance didn’t last long. He completed his first pass for an 11-yard gain, was sacked for a 7-yard loss, completed a 3-yard pass to Rex Burkhead and was intercepted by Jamal Adams, who returned the interception 61 yards for a touchdown.
With a little over 6 minutes left in the game, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick brought Brady back into the game – a 30-14 victory.
“I’m very thankful to get a few snaps,” Stidham said. “I wish it went a little bit better. I just got to make a better throw. I’ll just continue to get better and have a next-play mentality.”
With only Stidham, a fourth-round 2019 draft pick out of Auburn, behind the 42-year-old Brady, the team evidently decided it needed experience at the position. It released veteran Brian Hoyer before the season.
Kessler, 26, played for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, passing for 709 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in five appearances. The Eagles cut him at the end of the 2019 preseason.
A third-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns out of USC in 2016, he has completed 224 of 349 passes for 2,215 yards and eight touchdowns, with five interceptions and an 83.7 passer rating over three NFL seasons. He was 0-8 for the Browns during eight starts as a rookie.
RECEIVER JULIAN Edelman participated in the start of practice Wednesday, three days after leaving the Patriots’ win over the Jets because of a chest injury.
The Patriots had their entire roster, plus new quarterback Cody Kessler and tight end Jason Vander Laan.
Vander Laan’s signing filled out the team’s practice squad, which had an opening after fullback Jakob Johnson was promoted to the active roster last weekend.
Vander Laan, 27, spent last season bouncing between the Panthers’ active roster and practice squad. He signed with Carolina after appearing in four games with the Colts in 2017.
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