Devin McCourty believes Mac Jones would be an elite quarterback for the Dolphins

There are a lot of opinions out there regarding Mac Jones and what his future may hold as a quarterback, not only in New England but on any team in the NFL. Some feel that with the right players around him, he could be the exact quarterback the Patriots need, while others are firm believers that it wouldn't matter who his receivers were; he would still be a mediocre player.

Despite the obvious inefficiencies he has dealt with regarding the offensive roster since he was drafted in 2021, it seems fair to say that Jones has played better than others would if they were in his position.

Besides having three different offensive coordinators to work with in three years, one of which was Matt Patricia, he has also had several other coaching changes after Josh McDaniels poached half the staff to join him in Las Vegas. On top of that, Bill Belichick has not brought in a game-changing WR1 for Jones to rely on and has seemingly ignored the improvements needed to the offensive line roster.

That's a recipe for failure for almost any quarterback in the league, especially when it's a young player adjusting to playing in the NFL and needing proper coaching and development to become the quarterback they were destined to be. Jones hasn't been dealt that card over the last three seasons, making most of the takes regarding his performance a bit unjustified.

Because others in the division have thrived in the same amount of time that Jones has not, there has been a lot of discussion about his former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa and how they would fare if they switched teams.

Given that Tua has two of the best receivers in the league, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, plus an innovative young coach and a solid overall roster, the assumption would be that Jones would thrive in Miami. However, the same couldn't be said if the current Dolphins quarterback moved up north to play in Foxboro.

That's exactly what Devin McCourty said this week on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" about the two quarterbacks. He cited the difference in how the offense is run as a critical aspect that would dictate how each would fare on their new teams. And although he believes Jones would become an elite quarterback in Miami, he feels it would take time for him to get to that point.

Although his answer may seem pretty apparent to anyone familiar with the teams and the quarterbacks, there's something more interesting to be taken from McCourty's response.

Some of the most highly debated topics surrounding Jones and his skillset have been about whether or not improving the receiving corps and offensive line would truly elevate his game. Many believe, as previously said, that it wouldn't matter and that he has proven to be a draft bust for the Patriots.

Others recognize the importance of providing a quarterback with a good roster around him, especially when they're still young in their career, and knowing if he's not given that, he likely won't succeed.

Isn't that essentially what McCourty is saying about Jones?

The former safety has been hyper-critical of Jones since becoming a member of the media over the past year. That's what makes his answer to the question even more interesting because he's admitting that if Jones had guys like Hill, Waddle, etc., he would almost certainly be a top quarterback in the NFL.

The truth is, until that happens, we'll never really know. Hopefully, Belichick will get it done next season since the Patriots have a ton of cap space to spend and are looking like they'll be sitting high in the first round of the draft.