Getty Cam Newton
The New England Patriots‘ Cam Newton continues to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. The former NFL MVP wasn’t just rated modestly on a recent rankings list from Bleacher Report, he was left off of it completely. The list names the Top 50 players in the NFL, per the publication’s NFL staff.
This sort of disrespect is nothing new to Newton, and at this point, it has to serve as motivation for him heading into the 2020 season, which begins for the Patriots on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
Ever since the Patriots signed Newton as a free agent to a modest one-year deal, critics have seemingly had the lowest of expectations for him, and his impact on New England’s offense. Newton is coming off a two-year stretch that saw him hampered and out of action due to a shoulder and lisfranc injury with the former requiring surgery to repair.
Is that enough to not consider him no longer one of the Top 50 players? A group of folks at B/R believes that’s the case. They’re not alone.
Others Have Been Doubting Newton For Weeks
ESPN’s Dan Graziano says the news around Newton and the Patriots has been too positive, and it feels as if the team may be hiding something with the quarterback. Former Pro-Bowler and current CBS analyst Boomer Esiason says he can’t see Newton and Patriots finishing better than .500, and that the quarterback just isn’t a good fit with the franchise.
Some of the Players Listed Ahead of Newton
The New Orleans Saints’ right tackle Ryan Ramczyk might be the best player in the NFL at his position, but does he impact a game as much or more than Newton will in 2020?
Ramczyk checked in at No. 41 on the list. Tom Brady is No. 40 on the list, and I’ve been on record multiple times this year predicting Newton will have a better season this year, despite the fact that The G.O.A.T has more weapons. He’s 43 years old, people.
Only One Patriots Player Made the List
In case you’re wondering, the list didn’t just do a disservice to Newton. It’s pretty much a long snub to the entire Patriots roster. The only player from the team who made the list is reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore. He finished sixth in the rankings.
It’s true, the Patriots lost a ton of players, and aside from Brady, they didn’t have a superstar besides Gilmore. However, a strong case could be made for Joe Thuney to be on this list as well as J.C. Jackson, and Devin McCourty.
Perhaps if the team can get off to a strong start, that’ll change the perception of the talent on the team. Even then, somehow it seems most of that credit will wind up going to Bill Belichick–especially in Newton’s case.