If there is one person in the NFL who has a unique perspective on the current state of Cam Newton’s career, it is Greg Van Wroten. Not only has Van Wroten spent the past three seasons as Newton’s teammate in Carolina, but the offensive linemen will also play Newton twice this year, and that’s because Van Wroten signed with the Jets this offseason.
Although Van Wroten is excited about playing for his new team, he doesn’t seem too excited about the prospect of playing against his former teammate. During a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Van Wroten explained why other teams should be terrified at the idea of Newton playing on a team coached by Bill Belichick.
“It is definitely scary to think about that, if Cam Newton is healthy on Belichick’s offense in my division, it could be a long year for the other teams because he changes the rules of the game,” said Van Wroten. “He came to the league, you know, he’s a league MVP, he brought a team to a Super Bowl.”
If Newton is healthy, Van Wroten expects the quarterback to be a “headache” for opposing defenses.
“He’s built differently than many quarterbacks and is a headache for the game plan, so when he’s healthy, you can stop his run, but then you have to defend the pass,” said Van Wroten. “If you can stop the pass, well then you have to account for the race. So basically choose one thing and he will do the other. And then you pair him with Belichick, who only cares about winning and Cam really wants to prove his It was worth it, so it’s definitely a recipe for disaster for the rest of the league if they can solve it. “
When Newton signed with the Patriots in late June, the movement came out of nowhere. Although it had been speculated that the two sides had been talking in this offseason, it was not thought that a deal could be close. Van Wroten was not only somewhat surprised that Newton ended up in New England, but he was also surprised that the Panthers even released their former quarterback from the franchise.
“I was surprised, but I also saw it coming, if that makes sense,” Van Roten said of Newton’s release. “It was one of those situations where you have this talent, you have this franchise quarterback and you’re going to release him. To me, that seems like an interesting business decision, because you can replace a coaching staff, you can get a new exploration department. You can get a new business side of soccer, but when it comes to a franchise quarterback, and there are many teams in the league that will attest to this, you better be right, because you’re mortgaging the next couple. of years in that decision. ”
For the Patriots, adding Newton was a decision that came with almost zero risk. If Newton returns to his MVP form, then the New England dynasty could end up continuing for a few more years. On the other hand, if Newton is struggling, the Panthers only have $ 550,000 and can give Jarrett Stidham the starting quarterback job.
Although Newton has yet to officially practice with the Patriots, he has participated in several private practice sessions with some of his new teammates. Not only has he been throwing passes to Mohamed Sanu, but the new Patriots quarterback also found time to practice with Julian Edelman earlier this week.
