The New England Patriots cut a former league MVP before the final roster cuts in a surprise move. What landing spots fit the best for Cam Newton? He certainly won’t start right away, and he most likely will have to play the role of backup for the rest of 2021, barring injury. However, there are a few places he could end up. There’s one place it would be surprising if he didn’t end up.
Cam Newton Landing Spots: Washington the low-hanging fruit?
Newton will be a member of the Washington Football Team, right? It’s a move that makes sense from a competitive standpoint. However, they’re already paying over $20 million at the quarterback position that includes Alex Smith (retired), Dwayne Haskins (now a Steeler), Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Taylor Heinicke.
Still, there’s a better than 0% chance that Fitzmagic spirals into Fitztragic around midseason. That would give Newton time to assimilate to Washington’s culture and playbook, which shouldn’t be too difficult considering Scott Turner is the offensive coordinator. Additionally, Newton would have a familiar face in Curtis Samuel around.
Washington has an outstanding defense. A ball-control offense with Newton’s ability to use his legs alongside weapons like Terry McLaurin, Samuel, and Antonio Gibson could keep them in almost every game they play. They’re going to slug out wins, and having someone a little less … YOLO-prone … could be what the doctor ordered for Washington later in the regular season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s certainly not perfect, but Pittsburgh is staring down the barrel of a future consisting of Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph. That’s no future worth competing in. Newton isn’t a franchise quarterback anymore, but he could provide an intriguing bridge to keep them afloat as they search for their future.
Newton was excellent in the Patriots’ second preseason game. After missing a few practices after his COVID-19 testing “misunderstanding,” he did not look the same in the third game. Teams will most likely urge him to get vaccinated before they bring him on.
Houston Texans
Tyrod Taylor and Newton could battle it out for Houston QB supremacy. Obviously, they’ll want to see what they have in Davis Mills, but for 2021, it might be good to add some competition to the QB room.
Taylor and Newton are somewhat similar players in that they both provide mobility. On an objectively bad football team, a mobile quarterback can act as a catalyst in upset wins. Some teams struggle to defend mobile quarterbacks, and a big play or two is sometimes all it takes in a game.
Cam Newton can still play
In a league where quality quarterback play is slim at the starting position, a QB rarely comes available that can actually help a team win games. Newton, realistically, could be a fit on several teams as a backup.
He’ll need to be okay with not being the guy, which would be a first in his illustrious career. But it isn’t easy to see what other option he currently has.