AFC East: Will Cam Newton actually upgrade the New England Patriots offense?

Cam Newton’s signing with the New England Patriots changes the landscape of the AFC East. Or does it?

While it is rather safe to assume that Newton is an upgrade over Jarrett Stidham, who was the projected Week 1 starter in New England prior to this week, the signing of Newton isn’t necessarily viewed in projections as a huge upgrade for the Patriots. Especially when last year, the Patriots went 12-4 under Tom Brady, who left this offseason and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.

A former NFL MVP who led the Panthers to the 2015 Super Bowl, Newton should do well in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense. But will he be Brady level good?

The perception around the league is that Newton will take the Patriots offense to another level, which is somewhat in contrast to the narrative that he will be an improvement over Brady. While the sportsbook such as Bovada project a good solid season from him, it isn’t necessarily a lock that in all regards he will better Brady’s 2019 year (which was considerably down for him based off previous seasons.

“If we look over at Bovada’s sports book, they are completely bullish on Newton being able to stepping into Tom Brady’s role and fill the void left by Brady’s departure,” said ,Frank Taddeo, SI’s gambling and fantasy expert.

“They have projections of 3,750 passing yards and 36 touchdowns.”

Last season, Brady in 16 starts threw for 4,057 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions as the Patriots went 12-4. Newton in 2018 had 3,395 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games.

Newton is coming off a foot injury suffered last year in preseason that nagged him throughout the early stages of the season. He was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) in early November.

Taddeo notes that FanDuel has Newton’s line set considerably lower at 3,500 passing yards as well as 17 ½ passing touchdowns.