Cam Newton’s arrival to Foxborough has been the biggest acquisition for New England this offseason. Who benefits most?
For the first time in decades there is a legitimate quarterback battle in New England. Jarrett Stidham was all but crowned the starter for this upcoming season until Bill Belichick dropped a bomb onto his lap with the signing of Cam Newton.
Now the certainty that Stidham will be the heir apparent to Tom Brady is clouded by the arrival of a former league MVP who plays the position like no one has ever seen before. It’s the ultimate David vs Goliath battle as far as quarterback competitions go. However, we can use our better judgement today to assume that three-time Pro Bowler Cam Newton, can indeed fend off a fourth-round pick in his sophomore year.
If Cam Newton were to start for the New England Patriots, how much of the offense would look like the Brady-led offense we’ve seen the last couple of decades, and how much would it look like Carolina’s during Newton’s career with the Panthers? It’s the biggest screwball Bill Belichick could throw at the league, and I can just see him sipping orange juice now.
In a recent episode on Odell Beckham Jr.’s YouTube channel, “The Big Picture”, Cam Newton expanded on what he can bring to New England that they’ve never had before. “Coach McDaniels, you’re able to call some stuff that you ain’t ever been able to call now,” Newton explained.
And he’s right.
Newton brings a physical and dynamic style of running that Tom Brady could never reach, no matter how many avocados he eats. With that physical ability does come injury, however, so offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, would have to be smart with his play calling if he wants to utilize Newton’s ability and also keep him healthy at the same time.
Let’s dive in now and see who exactly benefits most if Cam Newton is victorious in the QB battle, and who may not benefit at all.
Winner: James White
James White plays the kind of role that Cam Newton loves: pass-catching back. A running back who can consistently catch the ball out of the backfield is a weapon that Newton has never been shy to force feed.
Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, Fozzy Whittaker, Mike Tolbert and Christian McCaffrey were more than just security blankets for Newton during his time in Carolina — they were staples in the offense.
Like Williams and Stewart, New England has White and Sony Michel. Although Michel is not used as a pass-catcher, the interchangeable backfield is a concept Newton is used to. Throw in Rex Burkhead, and he can see similar playing time as Mike Tolbert did, with Williams and Stewart getting the majority of the timeshare.
However, as pass-catching backs go in New England, there is no one close to James White’s ability. Over the last two seasons, only Alvin Kamara and Newton’s old teammate McCaffrey have more receptions at the position.
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You could argue that a young and developing quarterback like Jarret Stidham would rely on a security blanket like White, therefore elevating his usage as well, but it’s more likely Stidham spreads the ball around more than Brady has the last two seasons. James White was on a very short list of pass catchers that Brady trusted, which led to him being used so heavily.
If Cam Newton is the starter, then expect James White’s usage to stay the same, if not grow. Newton has proven throughout his career he will feed the pass catching backs.
Loser: Jakobi Meyers
Cam Newton has made it very well known which weapons he has decided to work out with this offseason. Based off of his Instagram posts this summer, Jakobi Meyers hasn’t been one of them.
Mohammed Sanu and N’Keal Harry have been seen in throwing sessions with Newton. With training comes chemistry, and with chemistry comes trust. Meyers can see himself on the outside looking in if Newton, who is fighting to regain his reputation as an elite quarterback in this league, decides to put his faith in the hands of Sanu and Harry over Meyers on key situations.
Edelman is the team’s clear-cut number one option; he has expressed his excitement in welcoming Newton to Foxborough on his social media. Meyers never had a chance of outgaining trust over Edelman if you or I were to start at quarterback.
Veteran receiver Marqise Lee, arguably New England’s second biggest free agent signing, is experienced enough to push Meyers down the depth chart, and another free agent acquisition, Damiere Byrd, already has chemistry with Newton, as they were both teammates in Carolina.
If Jarrett Stidham were to start, I could see the chemistry that they had together in the preseason last year carrying over into this season. Stidham and Meyers have already shown a connection, albeit in preseason work, but that would at least give Meyers a chance for playing time.
With Newton, however, the former undrafted free agent could very well get pushed down to the bottom of the depth chart.
Winner: Devin Asiasi
Devin Asiasi seems to be the favorite, from the outside looking in, to start for New England at tight end this season. For all intents and purposes, this is solely based off the fact that no tight ends were signed in free agency, and that Asiasi was the highest drafted tight end out of the rookie pool the Pats brought in this offseason.
It’s also reasonable to believe he will start over returning tight ends Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse.
Asiasi could be a dark horse this season if Cam Newton can utilize him the way he utilized tight ends in Carolina. Not known for their blocking ability, Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson and Asiasi play the tight end position more comparably to each other than to Rob Gronkowski.
Asiasi, at 6-3 and 260 pounds, ran in the 4.7s at his combine. Olsen was 6-5, 254 pounds, and ran in the 4.5s at his in 2007.
If Asiasi can absorb the playbook and develop quickly during this bizarre offseason, he would be New England’s best threat at the tight end position regardless of who wins the quarterback battle. If his ability as a pass catcher in college can translate to the NFL, then he could be just the answer to last season’s woes at the position in Foxborough.
Stidham could absolutely use a big, middle of the field target like Asiasi, but it is Newton who has made a living exposing the tight end position against defenses. Stidham would be able to rely on Asiasi, but Newton would be able to unleash him onto opposing defenses.
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.
Winner: Sony Michel
“But you just said the fullbacks wouldn’t start as much with Newton! How could Michel be a winner if he doesn’t have a fullback paving the way for him? He needs a fullback!”
I know, I know…
Sony Michel has been a far better performer with a fullback lined up in front of him versus the opposite scenario. With Newton starting, however, there won’t be a need for a fullback for Michel to have success.
These are Sony Michel’s college highlights. Spot the fullbacks!
I counted a fullback on one play.
Most of these highlights came off of RPOs. Cam Newton could open Sony Michel up to what he was back in college.
He may be able to see the field better pre-snap, it may be the extra second he has to see the field before picking a hole, but whatever it was that worked in college, Newton can help bring it back for him in the pros.
With Stidham under center, it would be a more traditional New England offense where the fullback would absolutely be necessary for Michel’s success. Although Stidham has shown some athleticism and the ability to run an RPO, if New England wants success with an RPO package, it would be silly to leave Newton on the sideline.
Loser: All of New England’s opponents
With Newton as the starter, New England would be officially entering the modern-day era of dual threat quarterbacks. To some NFL teams, that is the scariest sentence possibly imaginable.
Some teams or coaches in the past have claimed to have found the blueprint to beating New England, and now those alleged blueprints aren’t any more valuable than a roll of toilet paper during this pandemic.
Cam Newton could change New England’s offense overnight into the most unpredictable offense to line up against in the league. Newton’s physical ability, McDaniels’ innovative play calling, and Belichick’s coaching and decision-making could make for an offense more lethal than what we saw last year from Baltimore.
Teams like Miami and Buffalo who may have thought they were gaining on New England in the AFC East standings now have to scrap all knowledge of New England’s offense that they’ve accumulated over the years and toss them. That gives a huge advantage to Belichick, and he knows it and will take advantage of it.
If Cam Newton wins the quarterback competition, then he would have beaten out an up and coming young signal caller who Belichick views as a future starting quarterback in this league, and that would mean he wasn’t just handed the keys to the car — he would have earned them.
Newton is clearly motivated. Pair that with Belichick’s genius, and the rest of the league will be in trouble.