As the New England Patriots evaluated Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton ahead of the NFL Draft, one trait immediately stood out.
“The toughness,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said. “He played through a lot of stuff. He’s been beat up, but he’s played through a lot of stuff.”
The injuries piled up for Morton over his final collegiate seasons. The quarterback suffered a ligament tear in his right throwing shoulder and played through the injury in 2023 and 2024 before undergoing
surgery last offseason. As a senior, a hairline fracture in his right leg then forced him to miss two games.
Now in New England after being selected 234th overall, Morton feels as healthy as he has in quite some time.
“Body’s great,” Morton said. “This is the healthiest I’ve been in a really long time. Shoulder hasn’t been this good since high school.”
As Morton took the field in Foxboro this past weekend for rookie minicamp, he did so as the only player in the Patriots’ red non-contact quarterback jersey. The seventh-round quarterback looked healthy, completing all 12 of his passes in full-team periods and operating the offense smoothly in just his second day of practice on Saturday.
“A lot of reps, which is really beneficial right now,” Morton said. “And then, when we start Monday, reps will go down. But learning from [watching] Tom Brady and the guys that have played in this offense, it’s really cool to see the film that I get to watch. A lot of cool stuff in this offense, and I’m really excited to learn it.”
Joining a depth chart that includes Drake Maye and backup Tommy DeVito, Morton understands his role as a third-string developmental quarterback.
That made maximizing rookie minicamp especially important — including one-on-one work with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant.
“It’s a great opportunity to be here, and I think that I’m trying to maximize my days here,” Morton said. “So as much information as I can retain, I want to retain as much as I can. And the next day, mistakes are going to happen, but correcting off of them. And so it’s been a learning curve, but it’s been really, really good.”
“Just being a sponge — ask as many questions as I can right now,” he added. “Learning this, this playbook is very dense, but as much as I can get the opportunity to ask questions right now while it’s just me in the quarterback room, maximize my opportunity right now.”
Coming from the Red Raiders’ spread offense, adjusting to McDaniels’ system will take time for Morton. The 24-year old knows mistakes are part of the process — and learning from them is key.
“Really soaking in what we’re saying in the classroom, then taking it on the field,” Morton said. “It’s one thing to do in the classroom, and then transition to the field. When you get live reps, maximize those opportunities.”
Morton did just that during Saturday’s session, but he knows the work is only beginning.
“Every single day, show up in the facility, put my head down, and go to work,” Morton said. “I’m behind right now. All the other vets are, you know, they’ve done this for some time. And so, every single day I get in here, I’m just trying to study the playbook and maximize what I do.”
