Patriots have a difficult decision to make about their QBs for the game vs. Titans

Since the NFL eliminated the fourth preseason game, the Patriots will face their final opponent on Friday against the Tennessee Titans. Typically, the last game is when most starters of any team in the league will be playing their most minutes of the offseason, but that may not be the case for Mac Jones.

ESPN's Patriots reporter Mike Reiss mentioned the concern over the quarterback's safety on Thursday morning, noting the hard hits Jones took from the Packers' defense as a reason to keep him off the field.

Other than risking injury, the offensive line has continued to struggle even in practice, letting up a total of eight sacks in the last practice of the summer earlier this week.

Because the start of the regular season is just around the corner, it wouldn't be the wisest decision to keep Jones on the sideline, especially as he hopes to have a bounce-back season this year. But considering the protection issues they continue to face from the offensive line, Bill Belichick may need to make the difficult decision to limit Jones' availability or even keep him off the field entirely.

It's not a decision to take lightly, and seeing how Jones fares against other starters is ideal. At the same time, safety is prioritized, mainly when you're talking about quarterbacks.

It's a sticky situation the Patriots find themselves in, which becomes even more complicated when you think about the amount of pressure on Belichick and the team to be far more successful than how the 2022 season turned out.

The good thing is that Jones has performed well throughout the offseason and looked much improved on the field against the Packers. It may not be much to go off of, but is the risk of him getting hurt really worth putting him on the field if you don't trust your offensive line to protect him?

Most would probably agree it would be best to limit Jones or hold him out until week one.