Cam Newton didn’t just lose the quarterback battle in New England, he was cut. So which NFL teams should jump at the opportunity to sign him?
Even if Mac Jones were to win the starting quarterback job for the Patriots in 2021, the general belief was that Bill Belichick would keep Cam Newton on the roster for the NFL season. As it turns out, that’s not the case. On Tuesday with cuts down to 53 players taking place, the former NFL MVP was among the players cut by New England.
Cam Newton spent last season as the starter for the Patriots but the rookie got him in training camp. Now, it’s highly unlikely that there is any starting job — at least for a full season — out there for the former No. 1 overall pick. Instead, he could immediately become one of the best backups in the NFL.
So which teams should be looking at Newton as a potential pickup after 53-man roster cuts? These five NFL teams could use the services of the veteran quarterback.
5. The Detroit Lions could use Cam Newton as Jared Goff insurance
Not many people are expecting much from the Detroit Lions this season. The Matthew Stafford trade indicated that new head coach Dan Campbell will be captaining the ship for a long-term rebuild that will have a lot of work ahead for the franchise. For now, though, the Lions are moving forward with Jared Goff as the starting quarterback.
Having said that, we’ve seen what Goff looks like as the starting quarterback under one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, Sean McVay. He was fine but there’s a reason the team was so aggressive in getting Stafford. So imagining what Goff will look like without McVay isn’t too pretty of a picture.
As part of this rebuild in Detroit, though, the Lions are going to want to get good, quality looks at players like rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end T.J. Hockenson or second-year running back D’Andre Swift. If Goff is bad enough, that won’t happen. And now the Lions have injuries on the quarterback depth chart.
Cam Newton could enter the fray and offer stability behind Goff. He might not be a long-term solution for the Lions but the veteran would allow the franchise to get the best looks as the young players they want to see.