Cam Newton should follow the path Jameis Winston took

With fewer and fewer options out there for him, Cam Newton should follow the path Jameis Winston took.

After the draft, there has been some movement on the free agent quarterback. Jameis Winston signed with the New Orleans Saints, and Andy Dalton was finally cut by the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Cam Newton remains available since being cut by the Carolina Panthers over a month ago, with little beyond speculation attaching him to any teams.

The New England Patriots theoretically still have a starting opportunity available, and the Jacksonville Jaguars could certainly use an upgrade behind Gardner Minshew. Other than that, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins might be in the market for a backup quarterback.

Newton may be willing to hold out for an opportunity to start, assuming a team loses its starter in a preseason game or something. But there are no guarantees there will be any on-field offseason work this year, and preseason games are hardly a certainty right now.

Then, leaving aside what his asking price might be, there is the biggest reason Newton remains available. A foot injury cost him all but two games last season, and in 2018 a shoulder injury cost him the end of the season. Team doctors can’t see him in the flesh right now, and check him out for better or worse. A team could sign him subject to passing a physical and take on no risk, but that doesn’t seem to be on the radar anywhere.

Apparently in lieu of reported bigger offers elsewhere, Winston took a cheap one-year deal with the Saints to get what he called a “Harvard education.” He needed to take a step back in his career, with less pressure, and credit to him for doing so in the best situation he could have.

If only to be further removed from his injuries, with an eye on hitting the market again under more normal circumstances next March, Newton would clearly benefit from taking a backup job somewhere the same way Winston did. The question is if he can park his pride and ego to do it.