No, the Denver Broncos should not sign Cam Newton
Former Patriots and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was released recently, and some people in Denver Broncos Country have already called on the team to sign him.
Cam Newton was released today. The New England Patriots have decided to turn the franchise over to Mac Jones, and as a result, Newton is unemployed.
Not minutes after Newton’s release, many in Broncos Country were calling for the Denver Broncos to sign the former NFL MVP.
Here’s the thing, though; he stinks.
I get that, for the majority of his career, Newton has been a superb playmaker, especially with his legs.
The Newton-Denver connection has been alive for some time, actually. When Newton was a free agent last offseason, many in the NFL landscape thought he’d be an upgrade at quarterback for the team.
However, for a few reasons, Newton doesn’t make any sense for the Broncos.
Newton would make the quarterback room even cloudier than it already is. At this point in his career, Newton is in the same tier as Teddy Bridgewater.
He could possibly be a competent passer but is clearly only a Band-Aid. Newton played mostly poorly last year and was very clearly beat out by Mac Jones this year.
Also, I’d argue that both Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater are stronger passers than Newton.
In fact, Cam has never been that great of a passer.
Since 2017, his passing stats look like this:
54 TDs, 40 INTs, 9,926 yards, 62.3 completion percentage, all for a passer rating of 82.2
Meh.
For reference, Teddy Bridgewater, for his career, 53 TDs, 36 INTs, 11,385 yards, 66.5 completion percentage, for a passer rating of 89.5.
Yeah, Teddy’s passing stats aren’t exactly impressive either, but it’s a clear upgrade. Cam Newton would also have to learn a new offense and build relationships with the players and coaches.
This can be done, but one would wonder how long it would take, and if Cam could ever overtake Drew Lock as the QB2, let alone QB1.
Furthermore, Cam has very clearly lost a step, if you will, since Super Bowl 50. His MVP season in 2015 led many to believe that the Cam Newton era would continue for years after that, but he’s never matched close to the production since Super Bowl 50.
I’m not sure if this would be another reason, but I wonder if Cam still has bad blood towards the Denver Broncos for embarrassing him in the Super Bowl.
Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely that he simply wouldn’t be interested because of this? Probably not, but you never know.
One of the last reasons why this move wouldn’t make sense is because it would put yet another barrier in front of Drew Lock and his slowly diminishing opportunity in Denver. If Teddy Bridgewater gets hurt or begins to play poorly, Lock becomes the guy and would have a chance to solidify the position once and for all.
I’m not wishing for Teddy to play poorly or get hurt, obviously, but he has a history of both, and that is currently the best chance for Lock to start.
If the team were to sign Cam Newton, Lock’s clear path to QB1 could be wiped out.
If Vic Fangio decided to start Teddy Bridgewater because of his veteran status compared to Lock, wouldn’t he also defer to Cam over Lock for the same reason?
Ultimately, signing the former NFL MVP would be a bad decision, no matter how many national media figures want it to happen.
Teddy Bridgewater is our starter, Drew Lock is the backup, and it should stay that way.