Patriots sign Cam Newton: Why he’ll start in New England immediately

Cam Newton signing with the Patriots means he’s immediately their starter.

For the first time in two decades, the New England Patriots have gone through the offseason with a big question mark lying within the quarterback position after being set at that spot for as long as many can remember.

With legendary quarterback Tom Brady deciding to leave New England to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency earlier this offseason, the Patriots will have a new face under center for the first time since Brady joined the NFL out of Michigan in 2000.

While New England looks to throw a new starting quarterback into the offense in 2020, it has added a familiar face to the quarterback room as the upcoming year approaches: Cam Newton.

For a majority of the offseason, the Patriots have held two quarterbacks on the roster that were viewed as players who would try and fight for the starting spot. Those two quarterbacks being second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer.

But on Sunday, New England added a player on the free-agent market that many thought it would and should add to the team to insert into the starting job in the post-Brady era. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported that veteran free agent quarterback and former Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton agreed to a one-year deal with Bill Belichick and company in Foxborough.

Newton was arguably the top player available on the free-agent market and has long been viewed as a player the Patriots should pursue. After all, it makes sense for both sides since New England is looking for a new starting quarterback and Newton ultimately wanted to land a job with a team to become its starter following his departure in Carolina.

One of the biggest questions when it comes to Newton, who recently turned 31 years old, is if he is healthy and can remain healthy during a full season. Something he has been unable to do with the Panthers a few different times in his professional career to this point.

In 2019, Newton only appeared in two games for the Panthers while dealing with a season-ending foot injury and subsequent surgery. In those two games, however, Newton tallied 572 yards passing with one interception, completing 56.2 percent of his passes.

If he is able to remain healthy and can hit the ground running for New England, Newton will immediately be able to step into a starting job for the Patriots for at least this season and perhaps even beyond.

Newton could change the look of a Patriots offense compared to what we have been accustomed to seeing out of it in the past two decades led by Brady. His ability to both air the ball out and use his speed in the running game could be an intriguing change of pace for New England at the position.

Newton is a dangerous quarterback both in the passing game and with his legs in the running game, which is a valuable asset for a quarterback to have for teams in the modern layout of teams in the NFL. If he is healthy, there is no doubt that Newton would be better options under center for the Patriots compared to their current options of Stidham and Hoyer.

This season, there was already a new quarterback set to take things over under center for the Patriots. But now, there is a new face added to the mix of that quarterback competition with the addition of an intriguing player like Newton. And if he is healthy, he will immediately become the starting quarterback to try and lead New England in the post-Brady era.