Cam Newton’s place on the New England Patriots depth chart when entering training camp is not fully established, and a former player believes Newton may not be the starter.
Newton joins the Patriots team with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer already on the team. Although Newton has the skills and the talent to beat the two quarterbacks for the starting job, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said Friday that the 2015 NFL MVP being No. 1 is not exactly a done.
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“He has to win 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 will not only make him the starting quarterback. His contract he signed is basically coming, ‘hey look. Earn it.’ … It could be the third string quarterback when he enters. It could be behind Stidham and Brian Hoyer. “
He continued: “Look, they are going to prove it physically and mentally. They are going to say, ‘come here. You are new to this system. You are new to this building. You have to go out here and win everyone’s trust in the locker room.’ trust your teammates and see how he reacts to that. Put him on the third rope and he will be pouting and he will not take the reins and take leadership roles. He doesn’t know how people are going to react. “The Patriots are going to subdue the people on trial. “
“They are going to test you physically, mentally. How do you respond to certain situations? Cam has never been in a place where he had to fight for a starting role. Now he is going to enter a competition. Competition brings out the best in every player on that list. It is no longer a first-round pick. You are no longer a highly guaranteed money player. He comes to compete, and we’ll see what happens. You have to earn the initial job first. “
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Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, led the Carolina Panthers to three consecutive NFC South titles from 2013-15, and had a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season. He was awarded the League MVP that year. He also won three Pro Bowls in nine seasons.
Newton missed 16 regular season games in the past two years due to a foot injury that required a procedure. He also had multiple shoulder surgeries in his career.
Newton should take an early 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 interest in the Stidham start, but the sophomore quarterback didn’t exactly impress people during the trash situations he got into last year.
