According to ESPN, the Patriots made a big splash on Sunday, signing Cam Newton to a one-year deal. Patriots.com's Paul Perillo breaks down what is an intriguing move that adds a major layer of competition to the most important position on the team.
Mike Reiss says it's a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Patriots. Newton has battled injuries for two seasons but is just five years removed from winning the NFL's Most Valuable Player. Jeff Howe of The Athletic has Newton ready to compete for the starting job and could put the Patriots back into the contenders category.
Evan Lazar of CLNS breaks down some of Newton's recent film and how the Patriots might expect to evolve their offense around him. Having a stable of quality running backs, along with some promising tight end and h-back-type players bodes well for what Newton does best. Throw in a quality defense with the best secondary in the league and New England is suddenly right back where we're used to, among the most intriguing teams in the AFC.
On the national front, Albert Breer kicks off his MMQB column with some Newton tidbits, pointing out Bill Belichick always has an affinity for players that have given him trouble. Newton has beaten the Patriots twice, once in 2013, the other in 2017, throwing six touchdowns to just one interception.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN also likes the signing for the Patriots, drawing comparisons to Newton actually replacing Rob Gronkowski because he'll allow the offense to exploit personnel mismatches with his ability to run against lighter defenses.
Connor Orr of SI wants to know how the league let Bill Belichick get Cam Newton. Tom E. Curran calls is a "marriage of convenience."
NESN's Doug Kyed says it's all about health with Newton, and that his physical skills put him atop the Patriots QB depth chart though he'll still have to win the job with consistency and staying on the field. Mohamed Sanu is excited to get a "powerful leader" and MVP.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald thinks Bill Belichick played things perfectly in landing Newton.
