The New England Patriots added a big name quarterback to their depth chart, signing Cam Newton to a 1-year, incentive-laden deal as they look to replace Tom Brady. The 31-year old Newton will now battle Jarrett Stidham for the starting job.
After a shoulder injury cost him the final two games of 2018, Newton suffered a foot injury early last season. He opted for a Lisfranc procedure last year and once COVID-19 hit things became very tough for the Panthers and any other team to get a true sense of where the veteran’s health is entering 2020.
Carolina made the decision in March to move on under its new regime and opted to sign Teddy Bridgewater in free agency. On March 24, they ultimately released Newton.
Ultimately New England was the only offer Newton got as a free agent, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Browns checked in on him back in March, but never made an offer as they ultimately gave Case Keenum a three-year deal worth $18 million.
Newton has been posting recent workouts on Instagram account, to show anyone interested that his foot is now healthy:
Figuring out where to rank Newton heading into 2020 is a complex matter. Prior to 2019, Newton had finished as a top eight fantasy producer at the position seven times in eight years. Before last season he only missed five of 128 possible games since entering the league.
How much has the heavy workload as a rusher taken its toll on Newton? It’s a fair question and one many around the league are asking themselves. With 934 career carries under his belt there’s no doubt Newton has taken his toll of big hits.
There are plenty of reasons to suggest the once pass-heavy attack of the Patriots is already transitioning to more of a run-first approach. Newton could fit perfectly into that plan.
His fantasy floor comes from the fact he runs the football. He has been a lock for 500 yards rushing every season during his healthy career. There are durability concerns that threaten his chances at playing 16 games though, so that will limit his projections a bit.
Quarterback is very deep this year and Newton often is a player that gets drafted later than he should. He possesses top 10 upside, but for now I am keeping him ranked just outside my top 15. He makes for a great late-round target as a QB2 though and few quarterbacks going in that range offer anywhere near as high of a ceiling.
+++
From The GetSportsInfo Podcast:
Subscribe to the podcast on I-TUNES | GOOGLE PLAY | SPOTIFY | STITCHER | SOUNDCLOUD
+++
Expect him to have the leg up on the starting job entering the season, but the Patriots aren’t committed to him for the long term so if he struggles Newton could get pulled. The more likely scenario for us to see Stidham under center though will be if Newton sustains an injury.
His arrival to New England, definitely gives the Patriots a bit an uptick in their team outlook. However, I’m not altering my projections too much at this time on the surrounding pieces. James White gets a slight bump for me since Newton loves to dink and dunk things and Sony Michel is going down a bit with Newton vulturing even more goalline opportunities.
As for the other pass catchers I am taking a wait-and-see approach to see how Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and others will be impacted. None of them will fall into a group of players that I will be targeting.
+++
HERE’S WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Cam Newton has 39 career games with at least one passing and one rushing touchdown, eight more than any other player in NFL history. When fully healthy, still one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) June 29, 2020
The last time we saw a healthy Cam Newton, he had arguably his best season as a passer. If he beats out Stidham and is able to use his legs again (unlike early last season), he’s an obvious Comeback POY candidate with GOAT Belichick and OP Josh McDaniels.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) June 29, 2020
Cam Newton will have arguably the worst WR/TE corps in the NFL:
WR1 Julian Edelman (34 years old)
WR2 Mo Sanu
WR3 N’Keal Harry
TE1 Matt LaCosse
TE2 Devin Asiasi— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) June 29, 2020
Was asked by Reddit a few weeks ago why I thought Cam Newton remained unsigned. This was my answer:
Not much has changed for me. He’s no lock but probably the favorite to be the Week 1 starter. Really all a matter of health with Cam pic.twitter.com/AUTouT1rcT
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) June 29, 2020
Early thoughts on Cam Newton to Patriots: His willingness to accept a modest 1-year deal creates low-risk, high-reward situation for team to pounce on. Not necessarily a reflection of how team views Jarrett Stidham, in my view, but a chance to bolster the depth chart.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 29, 2020
IMPACT AT THE SPORTSBOOK
Below you will find Cam Newton player props and adjusted odds on New England from FOXBet:
New England Super Bowl Odds
19/1 with Cam, 25/1 without
New England AFC Championship Odds
7/1 with Cam, 10/1 without
New England AFC East Champion Odds
1/1 with Cam, 6/5 without
New England Over/Under Win Total
9.5 wins with Cam, 9 wins without
New England Playoff Odds
-227 to make playoffs with Cam, -190 without
(3.9% increased chance to make playoffs with Cam)
Cam Newton MVP Odds
100/1 to win MVP now; 300/1 when unsigned
Cam Newton Comeback Player of the Year
4/1 now; 22/1 when unsigned
Week 1 Starting QB for Patriots
Cam Newton -227 (61.5% chance Cam starts Week 1)
Jarrett Stidham +180 (31.7% chance Stidham starts Week 1)
Brian Hoyer +1200 (6.8% chance Hoyer starts Week 1)
Cam New Player Props
Over/Under 22.5 Passing Touchdowns
Over/Under 3,249.5 Passing Yards
Over/Under 549.5 Rushing Yards
