Getty Cam Newton
We’ve seen plenty of high-quality photoshop images of Cam Newton in a New England Patriots jersey. On Monday, the team released the first official image.
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Cam Newton in a Patriots Jersey
ESPN’s Field Yates does the honors with this image of Newton rocking the No. 1 jersey for the Patriots. You can’t see the number on the jersey, but according to the team’s official site, that is his number.
Cam Newton’s first official photo in his Patriots jersey.
Fans will have to stay tuned for a full look at Newton in his uniform. Some other teams have gone to a little more of a stylized presentation of the newest members of their team. However, in typical Bill Belichick fashion, the more toned-down approach is the Patriot Way.
The QB Battle That Awaits Newton
It appears Newton has the major edge in the race to become the Patriots’ starting quarterback in 2020. However, he’ll still have to win the job in training camp over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. We could throw undrafted free agent rookie Brian Lewerke in the mix for the sake of being thorough, but he’ll have a hard enough time simply making the roster.
Longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who retired in January, talked about Newton’s advantage in the quarterback competition.
“I think he has a huge edge, because of what he’s done in the league,” he said during an interview on Sirius XM radio. “The guy was an MVP [in 2015]. We played against him a number of times, have a huge respect for him as a player and leader, and the things he’s done. This guy, from a skillset, [is] a lot different from guys we’ve had in there at quarterback over the years.”
Experience figures to be a big key for several reasons. The Patriots are suddenly a pretty young team. especially this season with eight veterans having already opted out of the season. There was already set to be some turnover after Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Ted Karras, Danny Shelton, and Jamie Collins all left via free agency.
Many of those voids were filled by rookies or younger players the team drafted and signed. With so many young players, it’ll be especially helpful to have experience at the QB spot. Hoyer offers the same savvy, but Stidham–who is Newton’s biggest competition–does not have that as a quality.
Lastly, with an abbreviated training camp and no exhibition season, it might be difficult for a quarterback with very few regular-season reps to step in and play well.
Also Read:
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- Patriots Rookie RB is UDFA With Best Chance to Make Roster: Report
- Bill Belichick Explains Why Patriots Signed Cam Newton [WATCH]