Ryan Mallett will start Thursday’s preseason opener for the New England Patriots when they take on the Washington Redskins, per Jeff Howe from the Boston Herald. This may come as a surprise to those who assume only Tom Brady is allowed to play QB for the Patriots, but the preseason is wacky like that. Now the team — and the rest of the NFL — will get a good look at Mallett, who has mostly been lurking in the shadows since being drafted in the third round by the Patriots in 2011.
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Bill Belichick is likely hoping to accomplish two things in starting Mallett over Brady. 1) He wants an extended look at Mallett, who has impressed in training camp to this point. At 37 years old, it’s no secret the Patriots wants to insure Tom Brady for any injury. 2) Belichick wants to showcase Mallett for a potential trade either before the trade deadline or after the season.
Ryan Mallett has long been the subject of trade rumors, but Howe notes that the Patriots likely won’t lower their price on Mallett until the team has a better feel for the capabilities of rookie second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo. It’s still entirely possible the team flips Mallett for a pick and rolls with Brady as the starter and Garoppolo as the backup before the season even starts.
Of course, all of those plans depend on Mallett showing a spark in his start against the Redskins. As always, the preseason proves itself to be meaningless to established starters and of the utmost importance to fringe roster players. On Thursday, Ryan Mallett hopes to take a step away from that fringe and into the NFL spotlight.