Julian Edelman shares why he’s impressed with Patriots rookie Mac Jones

As much as the storylines of last Sunday night’s game focused on the grudge match between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, former Patriots great Julian Edelman was just as interested in another headline from the primetime showdown: “The poise of the kid.”

That “kid” would be rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who, despite not getting the win, is earning respect across the league for his play under the bright lights.

On the Paramount+ show “Inside the NFL,” Edelman went in depth on why Jones’s performance against the Buccaneers (31-of-40 passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT) means great things for the Patriots franchise with which he won three Super Bowl titles.

“He doesn’t seem to play ‘hero ball,'” the former receiver said. “He’s not a guy that’s going to try to win you the game. He’s going to take what the defense gives you.

“I think that paired with Josh McDaniels in New England – I know they’re not where they want to be. I know they didn’t win the game. But this was a huge confidence-builder for the New England Patriots seeing how Mac Jones played. The lights weren’t too bright for him.”

Later in the show, Edelman broke down a few of his favorite plays from Jones last Sunday, including a deep completion to Kendrick Bourne after escaping a free blitzer on second-and-19.

As the longtime Patriot, who just retired this offseason, acknowledged, New England’s offensive line struggled against Tampa Bay, allowing 12 quarterback hits and four sacks on the young quarterback. Those woes, in addition to injuries on the unit, have continued a trend of miscommunications and sub-standard performance in pass protection that have led to immense pressure on the first-round quarterback.

But Jones’s ability to rebound and adjust to the heavy-pressure packages teams throw at the Patriots has nonetheless impressed Edelman.

“That’s the poise of a young quarterback that you’re not used to seeing,” he said.

The traditional numbers don’t look all that explosive just yet for Jones. He’s completing an even 70 percent of his passes, which is excellent, but has just four touchdowns mixed with four interceptions and a 6.3 yards-per-attempt number that ranks near the bottom of the NFL.

But he consistently completes more passes than expected given the consistent pressure he faces and generally takes good care of the football (aside from his 3-INT game against the Saints, which wasn’t all on him anyway).

While Jones isn’t a game-changer yet, as Edelman alluded to, he has kept the Patriots in position to win games as a rookie. That’s something he and New England can build on both now and in the future.