Getty Free agent quarterback Cam Newton.
Cam Newton would love to back up Deshaun Watson but the Cleveland Browns aren’t interested in bringing on the former MVP.
Newton put out a video earlier this week addressing his NFL future, saying that he still feels like he could be a starter but would be open to being backup in certain situations.
“I know a lot of people have a lot of things to say in regards to my future in the NFL,” Newton said. “And I wanted to set the record straight by saying, ‘this is how I feel. There ain’t 32 guys, that’s better than me.’ But I also know that I could also be a backup and I’m willing to be a backup.”
At the top of his list for backup opportunities was the Browns, with Newton citing his relationship with Watson.
“No. 1, I would back up Deshaun Watson,” Newton said. “It goes without saying me and Deshaun Watson’s relationship, he was on my 7-on-7 All-Star team. I’ve grown to admire the person, the athlete that he is. Going through a lot of turmoil, but I believe that’s behind him.”
Newton may be interested and even have good intentions. However, the interest is not mutual, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“I will say it’s not happening. It’s not going to happen and that is because they are going with Joshua Dobbs as their No. 2 quarterback right now,” Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “The only way that changes is if Joshua gets hurt in training camp. That’s the only reason they would start looking around. Other than that, they’ve got their guy.”
Browns Have Large Amount of Respect for Joshua Dobbs
Last season was a whirlwind for Dobbs, who had to compete for his spot on the Browns roster but quickly made an impression. In his preseason appearances, Dobbs combined to complete 35 of 53 passes for 338 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
He spent the first 11 weeks of the season as the primary backup to Jacoby Brissett prior to Watson’s return. He was released by the Browns and spent a few weeks with the Lions before landing with the Titans. He ended up starting a pair of meaningful games to close out the year in Tennessee and played well in spite of the circumstances.
The Browns have always valued a capable backup quarterback and felt fortunate to get Dobbs back this offseason.
“I think the world of Josh Dobbs, the person, the player,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He got an opportunity to play some meaningful football games last season, which I think was good for him. But Dobbs, he’s a favorite of our building. I mean he’s beloved in that building. I think everybody saw what he can do in our system, or just in game settings. He’s a playmaker, so we’re really thrilled that he’s back.”
Dobbs Confident in Deshaun Watson Turning it Around With Browns
“He works his butt off, man. He works really hard at it, he cares about it… obviously we all know the type of player that he’s been”
Josh Dobbs has no doubts about Deshaun Watson being an elite QB.
Newton and Watson have a long-standing relationship, but he has something similar with Dobbs. The two go back to their high school days and believes Watson’s work ethic will help turn things around this year in Cleveland.
“He works his butt off man. He works really hard at it. He cares about it. Obviously, we know it we all know the type of player that he’s been,” Dobbs said during an interview with ESPN Cleveland. “We’re both from Atlanta. Right down the street from each other. So we’ve grown up competing against each other and watching each other play. So I’m always I’ve always been a fan of him and his game. We’ve been friends for a long time I’ll be excited to see him get back to the player that we know he can be.”
Watson started six games for the Browns last season, going 3-3 in those contests. He completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.