I think we can agree that Stidham is a work in progress and that the potential is there for him to grow into something special in time.
By all accounts he checks a lot of boxes - he's mature, he works hard, he's accurate (71% comp. rate in training camp against our DBs) and has physical gifts. He's a good locker room influence & players are drawn to him. More importantly, he's smart enough to learn the game & he's dedicated to that.
It's way too early to call Stidham the heir apparent. It's also too early to say he will replace Hoyer (especially with Hoyer playing so well vs Detroit). In the big picture that's not even important - the real question is if he has the potential to develop into a successful Patriots QB. So far the answer is yes, he has potential.
I'm encouraged that Jeff Howe says he's ahead of JimmyG at this point.
"He already looks ahead of where Jimmy Garoppolo was at this point of his 2014 rookie season, as Stidham makes a few highlight-reel throws during most of his workouts and performs with enough consistency to suggest this isn’t a fluke.
Bill Belichick and the coaching staff have also given Stidham a handful of opportunities to work with the first-team offense and defense, something that never happened during the summer for recent draft picks Jacoby Brissett and Danny Etling. And it took quite a while for Garoppolo to earn that type of trust at practice."