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Patriots: Winners and losers of the Cam Newton signing

By Nick Snelling

Quarterback Cam Newton #1, now of the New England Patriots (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Quarterback Cam Newton #1, now of the New England Patriots (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 20: Danny Vitale #45 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the football against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field on October 20, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Losers: Jakob Johnson/Dan Vitale

Mike Tolbert was the only memorable fullback in Carolina during Newton’s time there. However, Tolbert wasn’t used as a traditional fullback like Jakob Johnson or Dan Vitale have been during their careers.

As I asked before, how much of this season’s offense will look like last year’s in New England? If it does look more like Carolina’s, then the Johnson and Vitale combo will end up getting more comfortable on the bench.

In my opinion, I believe the fullback position will not completely disappear from New England, but there isn’t much room for them in an RPO-based offense. And although New England won’t completely flip over their playbook for Cam Newton, there will certainly be a hefty amount of adjustments, and in those scenarios, it is easy to see the fullbacks being left out of most equations.

Patrick Pass, Heath Evans, Sammy Morris and James Develin were considered unsung heroes during their times in New England.  With Newton as the starter Johnson and Vitale may not be given the same opportunities.

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