Cam Newton will be the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback in 2020 according to reports and the former NFL MVP could revive his career under Joe Brady.
Since leading the Carolina Panthers to a berth in Super Bowl 50 off a 15-1 regular-season record and winning NFL MVP in the process, quarterback Cam Newton has not enjoyed the same amount of success. That’s been the case both as an individual and as a team.
Carolina has only posted a winning record with Newton as the starter once in the past four seasons (2017), but the 2011 No. 1 overall pick has not come within 300 yards or 10 touchdowns of his 2015 passing totals while also taking a step back as a rusher. Throw in the fact that he missed all but two games in 2019 with a foot injury and was hurt at the end of 2018, and the stock has been falling for Newton.
That’s why there has been a multitude of discussions in the 2020 offseason about the possibility of the Panthers moving on from the quarterback. Though Kyle Allen and Will Grier proved to not be long-term answers, with a strong free agency and draft class in addition to a change in the coaching staff, a quarterback change seemed probable.
Now — not so much. On Tuesday as the NFL Combine gets underway, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Panthers, as of now, plan to move forward with Cam Newton as their starting quarterback:
A lot can still happen in the coming months, but as of now, the #Panthers are moving forward with Cam Newton as their starting QB, sources say. While his foot is healing well, it will be several months until it’s game-ready — a timeline that complicates any potential trade.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2020
As noted by Rapoport, part of the equation is Newton’s recovery from the foot surgery he underwent at the end of 2019. He won’t be ready to take the field for some time, even though the rehab has gone properly to this point, and that makes trading him more difficult.
While that may be true, it also stands to reason why the Panthers would want to keep Newton at the position. When healthy, he’s fully capable of being a game-changing player, especially with high-end weapons such as Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel. And now the Panthers have a new offensive coordinator in Joe Brady coming into town.
There has been plenty of supposition that new head coach Matt Rhule and Brady would be best-suited to take over in Carolina with a young quarterback to helm a young, building team. And that may be true but Brady showed while working at LSU the effect he can have on a quarterback’s success. Joe Burrow went from possibly draftable to the No. 1 pick under Brady, which is a testament to his prowess in the passing game.
With the weapons that he’ll have to operate with under Brady’s guidance, sticking with Newton could open the door for him to return to as close to his 2015 MVP form as we’ve seen. He’ll undoubtedly be put in the best position he’s been in for quite some time, especially if Carolina addresses the offensive line holes this offseason.
To be sure, it remains to be seen what Newton in his 30s with a surgically repaired foot will look like on the field. Having said that, he’ll have all the opportunity in the world to re-establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL now that he’s seemingly getting the chance to stay under center.