The first overall pick in the 2011 draft and the NFL’s MVP in 2015 is looking for a team. Which clubs would benefit most by adding quarterback Cam Newton?
It’s been an offseason of substantial change around the National Football League at the quarterback position. Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has left New England for Tampa. Resilient Philip Rivers gone from the Bolts to the Colts. Thought to be an answer in Jacksonville, Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles was dealt to the Chicago Bears earlier this month. And who knows what April’s draft will bring?
This past season, Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton last just two games before going down with another injury. He was replaced by Kyle Allen. The latter was just dealt to the Washington Redskins to be reunited with head coach Ron Rivera. Meanwhile, Newton is now on his way out of Carolina (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo) as new head coach Matt Rhule and the organization have brought Teddy Bridgewater aboard.
So where could he land? Keep in mind that in some of these instances, the nine-year pro could only be in line for a backup job. But it may also be an opportunity for Newton to prove he’s healthier than he has been the past year and a half.
5. Buffalo Bills
Considering that Sean McDermott’s club has added nearly every one-time Carolina Panthers’ player on the open market this season (Josh Norman, A.J. Klein, Mario Addison and Vernon Butler), why not bring in an experience performer to bolster two-year pro Josh Allen’s game? Newton obviously knows a thing or two about using his legs and Allen has surprised many with his running ability during his first two seasons. And the 2018 first-round pick may get a few additional pointers when it comes to postseason experience considering he was at the controls for the playoffs four times in his nine seasons with the Panthers.
Next: No. 4
4. Los Angeles Rams
Five years after the Carolina Panthers made Cam Newton the first overall pick in the ’01 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams traded up that April and used the No. 1 selection on University of California quarterback Jared Goff. It was a rough rookie campaign for the talented prospect. He finally got his chance that year and was in a confined offense and under the command of two different head coaches in Jeff Fisher and eventually John Fassel. Seven games and starts added up to five TD passes and nine turnovers
Enter young Sean McVay in 2017. Over the next two seasons, Goff and the Rams would be playoff-bound. Despite a late-season slump and a shaky playoff run in ’18, the young quarterback threw for more than three times as many scores (60) as interceptions (19) in 31 regular-season outings. All told, Goff turned over the ball a combined 27 times in those aforementioned contests.
But this past season, the Rams went from 13 wins and a Super Bowl appearance to a 9-7 finish and third place in the NFC West. The fourth-year signal-caller threw for 4,638 yards and 22 scores but was picked off a career-high 16 times and lost half of his 10 fumbles. So would Cam Newton pose a threat to Goff’s starting job? McVay’s current backup quarterback is John Wolford. More importantly, Newton may benefit from the talented young coach.
Next: No. 3
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
It wasn’t that long ago that the Jacksonville Jaguars were in the midst of a storybook-like season which saw them win their first division title in nearly two decades. In 2017, a team that had won three games the previous year finished 10-6 and won the AFC South. There would be a wild card win over the visiting Bills, an improbable divisional round victory at Pittsburgh and a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead at Foxborough in the AFC Championship Game.
Of course, the New England Patriots would rally for a four-point win and denied the Jaguars their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The following season, the club got off to a 3-1 start, including a revenge victory over the Pats. But quarterback Blake Bortles, who finally showed signs of promise in ’17, reverted back to his mistake-prone form. The Jaguars would finish 5-11 and the third overall pick in the 2014 draft would soon see his time with the franchise end.
So last offseason, general manager David Caldwell and the organization added free-agent signal-caller Nick Foles, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a win over the aforementioned Pats in Super Bowl LII in ’17. But he suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 and while he eventually returned, the Jaguars opted to part ways earlier this month by dealing him to the Chicago Bears. So 2019 sixth-round Gardner Minshew is the starter for now, with former Steelers’ quarterback Josh Dobbs in reserve. Would Caldwell and Marrone be interested in kicking the tires on Cam Newton?
Next: No. 2
2. New England Patriots
There’s been a mass exodus in Foxborough in terms of player defections over the last week or so, led by a 20-year veteran signal-caller who is the most accomplished player at his position in league annal. Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady will now team with head coach Bruce Arians in Tampa and help that franchise end the second-longest current playoff drought in the league. So where does that leave head coach Bill Belichick and a New England Patriots’ organization that hasn’t suffered through a losing campaign since 2000 while making nine Super Bowl appearances and winning six championships in the past 19 seasons?
The team just brought back journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer for another stint with the organization. He’s played in 23 regular-season contests for the organization and also appeared in one postseason contest. But he’s never started a game for the Patriots. Last April, Belichick added young Jarrett Stidham from Auburn via a fourth-round draft choice. His 2019 passing numbers included 14 yards though the air (2-of-4) and an interception returned for a touchdown.
What’s interesting is that Newton has had his share of success against the Patriots over the years. He’s won both of his previous meetings with New England, the latest a 33-30 victory at Gillette Stadium in 2017. So is Belichick actually comfortable with Stidham, Hoyer and well-traveled Cody Kessler heading into a season?
Next: No. 1
1. Los Angeles Chargers
For the first time since 2005, the team won’t have a starting quarterback named Philip Rivers. After making 224 consecutive regular-season starts for the Chargers of both San Diego and Los Angeles, the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. In terms of who could be taking snaps from center this season, head coach Anthony Lynn has veteran Tyrod Taylor at his disposal and general manager Tom Telesco used a fifth-round draft choice last April on North Dakota State product Easton Stick. At the moment, those are the only two quarterbacks on the Bolts’ roster.
Obviously, Newton would not only bring a wealth of experience to the team but should also be able to take advantage of the team’s personnel. With versatile running back Austin Ekeler, standout tight end Hunter Henry and a receiving corps led by Keenan Allen, the former Panthers’ signal-caller would have his own west coast versions of Christian McCaffrey, Greg Olsen and Steve Smith.
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While Taylor is obviously a former starter and in 2017 was part of a Buffalo Bills’ team than reached the playoffs, a healthy Newton is a difference maker. And perhaps he can a season unlike Rivers’ final campaign with the Chargers in which he had as many touchdown passes as turnovers (23).