All Dolphins

What Does the Newton News Mean for the Dolphins?

Former NFL MVP Cam Newton is joining the AFC East and that likely will make things more difficult for the Miami Dolphins
Alain Poupart|
What Does the Newton News Mean for the Dolphins?
What Does the Newton News Mean for the Dolphins?

Of course it was the New England Patriots who were going to land Cam Newton. Because ... of course.

So just like that, the idea of the Patriots having to rebuild because they were going to go from Tom Brady to Jarrett Stidham goes by the wayside.

Suddenly, the Patriots look like a dangerous team again, even though the Buffalo Bills still look like the best team in the AFC East.

But it cannot be overstated just what a different this signing has made, assuming of course that Newton is able to stay healthy in 2020.

Let us not forget that before he started having injury issues in the second half of the 2018 season Newton was on track to have a season even better than the 2015 performance that got him NFL MVP honors.

In the first 11 games of 2018, Newton completed almost 70 percent of his passes, had a passer rating of 103.7 and rushed for 417 yards.

That's heavy-duty stuff right there.

It's the kind of stuff the Patriots had no right to expect from Stidham, who was a fourth-round pick in 2019 and who attempted all of four passes as a rookie.

In fact, the only thing in common between Newton and Stidham is the fact both attended Auburn University.

Stidham is an absolute unproven quantity as a quarterback, while Newton is an elite quarterback when healthy.

Is he Tom Brady? No, but then again who is.

And even then Brady had a very pedestrian 88.0 passer rating last season, so it's not like the Patriots lost Brady in his prime.

The truth is Newton will be better than Brady ... again, if his body holds up.

Yes, the Patriots have a sub-par wide receiver corps (with all due respect to Julian Edelman) and have rookies at tight end, but they also have a deep group of running backs and a very good offensive line.

Their defense still should be good, even though the Patriots lost too many pieces (new Dolphins Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts among them) to be as elite as it was in 2019.

With Bill Belichick still in charge, underestimating the Patriots always was going to be dangerous. It will be even more so with Newton at quarterback.

Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

Share on XFollow @PoupartNFL
Home/News