Buffalo Bills: The arguments for and against signing Cam Newton
By Paul Taylor
Why the Bills should pursue Newton
The number one argument for pursuing Newton is that he knows how to get a team to the big show. He took the Carolina Panthers all the way to Super Bowl 50 to face the Denver Broncos, after an impressive 15-1 record during the 2015 season.
During that season, the 2011 first overall draft pick threw for nearly 4,000 yards and had an extremely impressive 35-10 touchdown to interception ratio. He also added another 636 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Newton racked up the individual accomplishments that season, being selected to the Pro Bowl, named First-team All-Pro and most impressively of all, winning the NFL MVP award. If it wasn’t for one of the most dominating defenses in recent times, he would have also been a Super Bowl champion.
More generally speaking, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner has produced ever since he entered the NFL. While the Panthers only went 6-10 during his first year, he still threw for over 4,000 yards and impressed the experts enough to win both the offensive and overall NFL Rookie of the Year awards.
Newton started winning more regularly during his third season, when the Panthers posted a 12-4 record. His overall record as a starting quarterback is 68-55-1 and this includes last season, when he only appeared in the first two games before being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a lisfranc fracture to his foot.
In terms of consistently being productive, the Atlanta, Georgia native has never failed to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a full season. Just as — or maybe more — importantly in terms of playing to the Bills’ strengths, his touchdown to interception ratio has always been favourable. (His career mark is 182-108).
As with Allen, Newton’s rushing ability adds an extra dimension to any offense. Before 2019, he had surpassed 500 yards on the ground in six of his eight NFL seasons.
One final factor to consider is head coach Sean McDermott‘s familiarity with the quarterback. He has had a penchant for signing players who were previously with the Panthers and the two were in Carolina together for six years between 2011-16, before McDermott departed for Buffalo.