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Cam Newton could be a fit for the Washington Football Team.
Sobleski explains why Newton is linked to Washington in the first place — due to his previous history playing for Rivera while with the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons.
“The Washington Football Team has been linked to Newton for some time due to his history with former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner,” said Sobleski. “The organization danced around the possibility multiple times but hasn’t seemed to show a ton of interest in the 2015 league MVP.”
Sobleski further explains why WFT should take a chance on Newton despite his inconsistent play as of late and the fact that he was cut by the Patriots at the end of the preseason.
“Heinicke hasn’t gotten the job done,” explains Sobleski. “Allen has flashed but never been a full-time starter. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick continues to recover from a hip injury. The WFT is in the midst of their bye week. If they want to make a change a quarterback, the time to do so is now. And they aren’t going to find a better option on the free-agent market than Newton.”
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Washington Still Looking for Franchise QB
While Washington won the NFC East last season, they did so with a 7-9 record. Four different quarterbacks started for the club during the 2020 season — Alex Smith, Dwyane Haskins, Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke (during the playoffs).
The organization signed veteran journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the offseason and he won the starting job in training camp. However, the 38-year-old suffered a hip injury in Week 1 and hasn’t been back since.
According to an update by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Oct. 24, Fitzpatrick was “still on crutches, weeks away from returning.” On Oct. 25, Rivera provided an update on Fitzpatrick, saying he’ll undergo an MRI in two weeks.
In other words, Fitzpatrick is still likely weeks away from returning.
Why Washington Likely Won’t Sign Newton
The team’s season has quickly spiraled out of control at a current record of 2-6. While Heinicke has provided some bright spots, he’s also been a very inconsistent starter at quarterback.
The 28-year-old has thrown nine interceptions (tied for second-most in the NFL) and his 56.4 passing grade ranks only above Ben Roethlisbeger and Justin Fields among all starting quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
However, that’s to be expected of an inexperienced quarterback who had made just two career starts prior to this season.
When one factors in that the season is likely over for Washington and that they already possess an experienced quarterback in Fitzpatrick, it’s hard to envision the club actually signing Newton.
While it would be a nice feel-good story considering it would see Newton and Rivera reunite one last time, it wouldn’t make any sort of difference to the team’s success.
Newton went 0-8 in his last eight starts with the Panthers. His decline played a role in Rivera’s eventual dismissal midway through the 2019 season.
The veteran quarterback’s 2020 season with the Patriots didn’t do anything to convince teams that he still had anything close to resembling his MVP form.
Newton threw just eight touchdown passes (ranked 34th in the NFL) against 10 interceptions while posting an 82.9 quarterback rating (ranked 28th) last season in 15 starts. He posted an uneventful 7-8 record as a starting quarterback in New England.
There’s a reason Newton went unsigned until the end of June 2020 and there’s a reason he remains unsigned two months after the Patriots cut him — he just isn’t a starting-caliber quarterback any longer.
Considering WFT is in a rebuilding season with a chance to see if they have a franchise quarterback in the 28-year-old Heinicke, it doesn’t make much sense for Washington to take a chance on Newton.
