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Cam Newton’s place on the New England Patriots’ depth chart coming into training camp isn’t completely set, and one former player believes Newton might not be the starter.
Newton enters the Patriots team with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer already on the team. Though Newton has the skills and talent to beat out both quarterbacks for the starting job, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said Friday that the 2015 NFL MVP being No. 1 isn’t exactly a given.
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“He’s got to earn the starting position before he can win more games than Tom Brady,” Ninkovich said in a segment on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” according to 24/7 Sports. “Look, the Patriots aren’t going to just make him the starting quarterback instantly. His contract that he signed is basically coming in, ‘hey look. Earn it.’ … He might be the third-string quarterback when he comes in. He might be behind Stidham and Brian Hoyer."
He continued: "Look, they’re going to test him physically and mentally. They’re going to say, ‘come in here. You’re new to this system. You’re new to this building. You have to come out here and earn the trust of everybody in the locker room.’ Earn the trust of your teammates, and see how he reacts to that. Put him in at third string and he’s pouting around and doesn’t take hold of the reins and grab leadership roles. You don’t know how people are going to react. The Patriots are going to put people through tests."
“They’re going to test you physically, mentally. How do you respond to certain situations? Cam has never been in a spot where he had to fight for a starting role. Now he’s going to go into a competition. Competition brings out the best in every player on that roster. He is not a first-round pick anymore. He’s not a highly-guaranteed money player anymore. He’s coming in to compete, and we’ll see what happens. He first has to earn the starting job.”
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Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, led the Carolina Panthers to three straight NFC South titles from 2013-15, and had a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season. He was awarded the league's MVP that year. He also earned three Pro Bowls in nine seasons.
Newton missed 16 regular-season games over the last two years due to a foot injury that required a procedure. He also had multiple shoulder surgeries in his career.
Newton should step into a starting role in New England as the successor to future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the offseason.
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The Patriots have expressed an interest in Stidham starting, but the second-year quarterback didn’t exactly impress people during the garbage-time situations he was put into last year.