What It Means:

This more or less confirms that Newton has still not received the COVID-19 vaccine. While the league has not yet mandated that all of its players receive the vaccine, instances like this exemplify how much of a competitive advantage teams with high vaccination rates will have heading into the 2021 season; if Newton had been vaccinated, he would be eligible to return to the team sooner than Thursday.

In the meantime, this opens a pathway to substantially more first-team reps for 2021 NFL Draft first-round pick Mac Jones, who (like Newton) has shown well in the team's early preseason games. Jones' performance in practices this week as the team's de facto QB1 will be worth monitoring in case the rookie makes a definitive push for the starting job.