Carolina Panthers: Is Cam Newton a Top Tier Quarterback?

Carolina Panthers star signal-caller and 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton is poised to break into the top tier of NFL quarterbacks.

Sports debates about who is better than who are conversations that will continue across time. While it may be nearly impossible to convince someone of your opinion, it’s never easy to find one of these arguments. Mike Sando of ESPN kicked off such a debate this week with his piece breaking down “2016 NFL QB Tier Rankings.” Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton, is included on this list, but his placement may anger some of his and the team’s biggest supporters.

Sando broke down his list and placed Newton within the second tier of quarterbacks within the National Football League. This second tier is designated as the group that “can carry his team sometimes, but not as consistently.” For comparison’s sake, the quarterbacks listed in tier one are those that “can carry his team each week; the team wins because of him.” This is an interesting slot to place Newton, especially after coming off of the 2015 season that he put together. However, there are reasons to both support and argue where Sando placed him on this list.

The first aspect of this conversation is to look at the individuals who were a part of the voting panel. This group included 10 general managers, five head coaches, seven offensive coordinators, five defensive coordinators, eight personnel evaluators and seven other coaches or executives. This is a very strong list of professionals that know what’s needed on the field to be considered an “elite” quarterback. So, let’s break down exactly why Newton could fit in either category.

Dec 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) runs with the ball against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Giants 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The tier two quarterbacks are those that carry their teams, but are not consistent in that act. It would be hard to call Newton inconsistent at any part in 2015. His start to the season wasn’t spectacular as he ended the first eight games of the year with 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. This is an issue that plagued Newton for much of his career to that point, so it’s understandable why the narrative at the start of the season questioned if the Panthers were winning because of Newton, or in spite of him.

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However, he would change that around and do so in an impressive fashion. From games 9 to 16 Newton put this team on his back with his play. He would put together 21 touchdowns and just one interception; a shining example of consistency. This doesn’t include his ability to run the ball which is a major dynamic to this team; one that no other quarterback in the league offers to his team.

Still, his average totals were not spectacular when compared to his peers. When coupled with a powerful defense that consistently found a way to make big plays and shut down the opposition, it’s understandable why these individuals “in the know” would want to rank Newton at a level lower than Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger.

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Newton is the reigning NFL MVP but he has to continue building on that momentum going into this new season. Sports skeptics are always ready to pick apart players accolades and Newton is in their crosshairs as 2016 looms. If he carries this team through another impressive season and perhaps completes the season where they failed last year, then Newton must immediately jump to that elusive top tier of quarterbacks.