Patriots: Devin McCourty hints at potential Cam Newton return in New England

The New England Patriots took a major step in the wrong direction on the offensive side of affairs last season, as the cavernous drop-off from Tom Brady to Cam Newton led a huge regression in the passing game.

While Newton struggled for large chunks of the season, defensive back Devin McCourty thinks that Newton still has the ability to lead a New England turnaround after the Matthew Stafford trade went through.

Speaking on his podcast, McCourty claims that he would be thrilled with Newton returning to the Patriots, as he believes that the former MVP will be able to help the Patriots contend if he gets a full offseason with better perimeter talent around him.

"“I’ll start off by saying I wouldn’t mind seeing my guy Cam Newton come back,” McCourty said. “I thought he had a tough [situation] coming in. No offseason, no anything. [He] played in a Super Bowl and won a MVP.”"

Cam Newton had a very inconsistent season with the New England Patriots.

Newton threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his first season as a Patriot, as the combination of a very basic Josh McDaniels offense, a lack of difference makers at wide receiver, and Newton’s injury (and COVID absence) helped limit New England’s passing game.

Despite all of that, there is optimism that Newton could revitalize himself. Not only was Newton changing teams for the first time in his career, but he made the switch without an offseason that he could’ve used to familiarize himself with the offense.

Bringing back Cam would be a massive risk, as it could prevent New England from taking a potential franchise quarterback with the 15th overall pick in the draft. However, the Patriots went 7-9 with a beat-up quarterback and several defensive stars choosing to opt out.

With Newton back and those defensive stars returning, it might not be crazy to expect Bill Belichick to lead this motley crew to the postseason.

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