Patriots Eye QB Experience: C.J. Beathard Could Be Key Backup For Maye & Dobbs

The New England Patriots definitely have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye, or at least that's what they are hoping. However, their depth behind him is somewhat questionable.

The Patriots added veteran Josh Dobbs in free agency, but their No. 3 quarterback is currently undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge. That isn't very assuring, so perhaps New England will look to add another signal-caller before the start of the regular season.

Graham Wilker of Musket Fire recently published a piece in which he rattled off some remaining free agents the Pats could still sign, and quarterback C.J. Beathard made his list.

"With Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs locks to make the roster in 2025, any additions to the room would fill the QB3 role. Louisiana UDFA Ben Wooldridge currently occupies that slot, but adding another veteran arm could be wise," Wilker wrote. "In the event of an injury to Dobbs, relying on a UDFA as the only alternative to Maye is risky. Beathard has experience as a backup and has 13 career starts to his name."

Beathard actually showed some promise early on in his career, putting together some decent starts with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 and 2018. However, it clearly wasn't enough for the University of Iowa product to become anything more than a backup.

The 31-year-old resided with the 49ers through 2020 before heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, but during his time with the Jaguars, he made just one start.

All things considered, you aren't looking for much from your third-string quarterback. At the very least, Beathard has legitimate NFL experience, which Wooldridge obviously does not have. And to be perfectly honest, if you need to use your third-string signal-caller, things are probably going pretty far south, anyway.

We'll see if the Patriots opt to make a move.