Cam has connection with Caserio, could be a fit for Houston Texans
When Bill Belichick at a Tuesday press conference was asked to assess Cam Newton’s training-camp performance, the New England Patriots’ coach said, “He’s definitely moving in the right direction.”
An hour later we learned he was moving out of town.
Belichick decided to replace last season’s starting quarterback with a rookie, Mac Jones, first-round draft pick out of Alabama. Newton was released, so the question now is, Where does he go?
Options are very limited because most teams have decided who will be starting when the real season opens next week. And Newton, still young for a quarterback at 32, wants to be a starter, which he’s been throughout his 10-year professional career. When he appeared on Boston radio station WEEI in January, he said, “If you’re asking me if I want to be a backup, the answer is, ‘Hell, no.’”
There are a couple of NFL teams undecided on their starting QB: San Francisco and Philadelphia. But they’re trying to decide between players who are on their current roster. The 49ers see Jimmy Garoppolo as a bridge to first-round draft pick Trey Lance; the Eagles traded for Gardner Minshew to challenge second-year starter and second-round draft pick Jalen Hurts. Three would be a crowd in those quarterback rooms.
There’s been speculation about Newton reuniting with his former Carolina Panthers coach, Ron Rivera, who’s now head coach in Washington. But Rivera quickly reaffirmed: “Ryan Fitzpatrick is our quarterback.”
Only one NFL team has a desperate need for a quarterback right now: the Houston Texans. Deshaun Watson is in limbo, facing 22 allegations of sexual misconduct, and Tyrod Taylor is starter by default.
Even before he became overly involved with masseuses, Watson wanted out of Houston, which is why the team signed Taylor as a free agent.
Taylor has had a disappointing preseason. Coach David Culley criticized his performance in Saturday’s final exhibition, when he was 6-of-9 for 31 yards against Tampa Bay and gave up a strip-sack fumble. Culley attributed the fumble to Taylor not having both hands on the ball, an error an 11-year veteran should not be making.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio was part of the Patriots’ front office last season, so he’s very familiar with Newton. No doubt he heard the reports that Newton showed leadership and was happy to mentor the younger players. That’s significant because Caserio wants to develop third-round draft pick Davis Mills, a quarterback from Stanford.
Although Newton probably will never approach his MVP form of 2015 in Carolina, he’s looked better in this preseason than he has in the past five years, when he was hobbled by numerous injuries.
He started all three of New England’s preseason games, completing 14-of-21 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Last year, Newton struggled to throw the ball downfield but was effective on designed runs and scrambles. He rushed 137 times for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns. He showed he’s lost little of his foot speed when he had one run of 49 yards.
Newton said an early-season bout with Covid-19 affected his subsequent performance. Even so, he refused to be vaccinated, which several New England sources have said was a major factor in his being released.
No doubt Newton would prefer to go to a team that’s ready to win now. The Texans, 4-12 last season, are in a rebuild. But if Newton wants to play immediately rather than wait for another quarterback to get injured, Houston is his only chance. He cannot afford to waste a season waiting for another opportunity that might not come.
