My 3 Takeaways From the Cam Newton Patriots Signing

Cam Newton is now a New England Patriots, but what does that really mean? Photo: Daily Snark

The Patriots had a quiet offseason in free agency that saw Tom Brady, the rights to Rob Gronkowski, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Duron Harmon, Phillip Dorsett, Nate Ebner, Ted Karras, Elandon Roberts, Ben Watson (retired), James Develin (retired) and Stephen Gostkowski (released) leave New England. Replacing all the losses are mostly draft picks and journeyman so far; the latter includes Adrian Phillips, Beau Allen, Marqise Lee, Damiere Byrd, Brandon Copeland and Dan Vitale.

With the roster getting younger and only Brian Hoyer and 2019 fourth rounder Jarrett Stidham on the depth chart at quarterback, some wondered if the Pats finally hit their rebuild period under Bill Belichick. Others weren't convinced, trusting in the legendary head coach until proven otherwise. The fan base loyalists turned to Stidham, anointing him as the next Brady, despite his one career NFL drive ending in a pick-six to New York Jets safety Jamal Adams. When New England passed on signing or drafting a quarterback heading into Summer, more confusion arose.

Finally, on June 28th of 2020, the Patriots did what many fans had called for since the beginning of this process. They signed free agent and former MVP, Cam Newton. It's a one year deal that could earn Cam up to 7.5 million, but the highly incentivized deal could also end up costing next to nothing. Pats Nation will hope they pay Cam the full 7.5, because if they do that likely means the former Carolina Panther has success during his comeback campaign. When this signing first came about I wasn't sure how to react (other than feeling like this was more similar to a Madden move than real life), so I let it sit for a week or so, and here is what I determined:

My 3 Takes From the Cam Newton Signing

1. Bill Belichick Is Not Considering a Rebuild/Tank- I never really thought Belichick wanted to rebuild, but now it's officially a fact. He still has a top-notch defensive unit which was one of the best in football last season (even if it did lose a few key cogs) and a stout offensive line. Two moves that really gave it away early however were the re-signing of veteran safety Devin McCourty and franchise tagging of guard Joe Thuney (now re-signed). These are not moves you make if you are a cap-stretched roster that is rebuilding. As a Jets fan, in some ways this made me feel extremely relieved. The Indianapolis Colts once went from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck after one down season, and even the thought of the Patriots going from Tom Brady to Trevor Lawrence made my stomach turn. I now firmly believe that Trevor Lawrence will be a Jacksonville Jaguar in 2021.

2. Jarrett Stidham Is Not the Second Coming of Tom Brady- If you know any Patriots fans (I know several), you know that they have the annoying tendency to immediately over-hype any move that their team makes. Most times the moves crash and burn (as they do more often than not for every NFL team if you go by a law of averages), but you'll never hear the end of the occasions when they succeed. You know how many times I heard that Stidham could step in and become the GOAT just because Brady was drafted in the sixth round (which was lower than the newcomers draft status)? Side note; if anyone could step in and do Brady's job, doesn't that devalue Brady's career accomplishments? All the fans that had laughed at the notion of the Patriots system helping Brady's career now believed that same system would propel Stidham to instantaneous glory. The hypocrisy knows no bounds in Boston sports. Still, my initial reaction to Cam signing was not fear or anger or even curiosity, it was laughter. My first thought was, "I guess Stidham sucked after all," and then I laughed.

3. The AFC East Is Truly Up For Grabs in 2020- This was already my belief, Newton or not, but being that I know what Cam is compared to Stidham, I'm now certain it's up for grabs. I see this as a three or maybe even four horse race. The Buffalo Bills are my favorite to win the division, they have the most solidly built roster from top to bottom in the division. The Stefon Diggs addition was the perfect move to take their team to the next level. As a Jets fan, I naturally think my team has a chance as well. My arguments would be the major improvements to the offensive line (which could aid both LeVeon Bell and Sam Darnold in having breakout seasons), and the return of key players who missed 2019 due to injury (CJ Mosley, Avery Williamson, Sam Darnold [mono] and Chris Herndon chief among them). I wouldn't sleep on the Miami Dolphins either, who should have a much improved defense. Whether Ryan Fitzpatrick or Tua Tagovailoa, this team will cause problems for opponents again under Brian Flores. The Pats will certainly be in the main race with Buffalo and New York, more now than before, but what can a battered Cam Newton really do at this point in his career? He may provide some highlight plays and big games, but will he be as consistent as Brady (absolutely not)? Will he read defenses and pick apart the opposition like the best of all-time (no chance)? I loved Newton in his prime, he was one of my favorite players at the time, but he's not that guy anymore. Concussions, numerous ankle injuries, Lisfranc sprain on the same foot, right knee ligament damage, back vertebral fracture, rib fractures and worst of all, shoulder surgeries on his throwing arm. That's a long list of wear and tear, and even then he didn't show up in his only Super Bowl appearance. Expect the Patriots to be a run-first offense with an emphasis on short passing (similar to the style under the older Brady). They may incorporate the option hand-off more now, but the passing accuracy should be lower with Cam's shoulder and the decision-making will likely become more sporadic. This team is worse than it was last year. Newton is not winning MVP in 2020. This will be a battle in the East. And I for one am excited about that.