• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Buffalo Sports News

Buffalo Sports News

  • Bills
  • Sabres
  • Colleges
    • Canisius
    • Syracuse
    • University at Buffalo

Best of AFC East: A new best QB in the division, as expected

August 14, 2020 by Bills Wire Leave a Comment

The landscape of the AFC East is changing and much of it has to do with the quarterback position.

The New England Patriots, who have been penciled in at the top of the AFC East for the past two decades, now face some uncertainty with quarterback Tom Brady moving south to Tampa Bay. Because of this, the standard has changed a bit.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen has steadily improved during his time in the league. Sam Darnold has been stuck in cycle of dysfunction with the Jets. The Dolphins are crossing their fingers that they have found their answer in the once consensus No. 1 pick in Tua Tagovailoa.

And of course now there’s Cam Newton with the Patriots, in a twist of all twists this offseason.

Wrapping up Bills Wire’s AFC East rankings is the quarterback position, in a close, close race:

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

1. New England Patriots

Cam Newton comes the New England Patriots on an incentive-laden deal, giving the six-time champions access to an All-Pro quarterback who can fit under the team’s salary cap. Newton is quite the upgrade to the Jarrett Stidham, the 2019 fourth-round pick who was initially thought to be given the keys to the best franchise this century. Now with Newton, the Patriots have a much more experienced option as opposed to someone who’s essentially a rookie.

But here’s the thing. Newton is without a doubt the AFC East’s most decorated and best quarterback… in a bubble.

Newton has faced many injury problems over the past few seasons, which is why he found his way to New England in the first place.. He missed 14 games last year with a pedal lisfranc sprain. He’s also dealt with knee, shoulder, and concussion issues during this career. That’s a lot to overcome.

Newton has declined a bit from the player who won the MVP in 2015 because of these bumps and bruises. However, he still has the potential to break the pocket and make a play out of nothing. A completely healthy Newton will thrive in the ball-control offense of the Patriots. Interestingly enough, while Newton was largely the focal point of the Panthers’ offense during his time in Carolina, he won’t need to be the game-breaker, take-over-the-game type of frantic play that was required at times in Carolina. His weapons aren’t exactly perfect with the Patriots though, so offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has a lot of work to do.

Newton is 31 and he has taken his share of hits. To call him a reclamation project is a bit of a stretch. However, he has the tools to succeed in New England if he can just stay healthy.

And if not, we’ll get a taste of Stidham after all.

Like this article?

Sign up for the Bills Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You’ll now receive the top Bills Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

Filed Under: Bills

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • AFC/NFC championship game times, picks
  • Eagles vs. 49ers open game thread
  • Chiefs vs. Bengals open game thread
  • Super Bowl LVII matchup: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
  • Bills 2023 salary cap breakdown, Part 1: Mount Rushmore

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • WIVB 4
  • WGR 550 SportsRadio
  • 247 Sports
  • Bleacher Report
  • ESPN Rochester
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today

Football

  • Buffalo Bills
  • Bills Gab
  • Buffalo Rumblings
  • Bills Wire
  • Buffa Low Down
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Total Buffalo Bills

Hockey

  • Die By The Blade
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • Sabre Noise
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • The Hockey Writers

College

  • Busting Brackets
  • College Sports Madness
  • Forgotten 5
  • Hustle Belt
  • Inside The Loud House
  • Orange Fizz
  • Saturday Blitz
  • UB Bull Run
  • The Daily Orange
  • Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in