Bill Belichick praised Jarrett Stidham's progress as the quarterback looks set to become the New England Patriots' starter.
Stidham, 23, appeared in three games for the Patriots last season, but could start in 2020 after Tom Brady's departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Patriots head coach Belichick is pleased with the progress Stidham – a fourth-round pick in 2019 – has made.
"'Stid' worked really hard last year, he was our back-up quarterback the entire season and I know he's working hard in the offseason," he told NFL Network on Thursday as the 2020 schedule was released.
"He's made a lot of progress in terms of understanding our offense and understanding opponent defenses, like all players do from year one to year two.
"I'm sure he'll get out there and be ready to go, be prepared, compete hard and we'll see where it takes us."
"We feel like we have four good players."
— NFL (@NFL) May 8, 2020
Belichick breaks down his QB room.
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Stidham, Brian Hoyer, J'Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke are the Patriots' options at quarterback.
Belichick said: "That's where we are and you never know what's going to happen down the road.
"We feel like we have four good players there."