The Buffalo Bills are aware that the New England Patriots made an unexpectedly major splash in free agency on Sunday when they signed veteran superstar quarterback Cam Newton.
Cam Newton and the Patriots agreed to a one-year deal that is reportedly heavy on incentives. And he's going to go in there and “fight” for the starting quarterback spot. Although, let's be honest, he's got it.
Cam Newton provides a massive immediate upgrade over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, the two quarterbacks that were set to fight for the starting spot.
What this really does though, is change the narrative surrounding the Patriots. Quite a few people thought that New England might do the unthinkable and try to tank.
Now that clearly is not happening though.
That's a good thing too, as it would have been really hard to tank with Bill Belichick as your head coach and with that defense.
So the question has to be asked. Are the Patriots once again favorites in the AFC East? Because the Buffalo Bills seemed to have overtaken them.
But with a star quarterback in the mix in New England once again, do they find a way to stay on top?
The answer is pretty simple. Yes.
Belichick is the best coach in football. So that right there is an advantage. He has an incredible defense behind him too.
Yes, the Bills are rocking with a great defense, but New England was simply next-level last year. And they did not make enough changes to make anyone think they won't still be right near the top of the league in 2020.
Meanwhile, the weapons are not incredible. But the Patriots have a lot of young pieces that could grow.
And of course, the quarterbacks. Josh Allen took some very positives steps in 2019. He still is not Newton though.
In terms of running, both are extremely dangerous. And Allen made strides with his arm too. He threw for just 3,078 yards in 2019 though. That's less than any season (not counting 2019 when Newton appeared in just two games) than Newton's ever had.
In fact, in 28 games Allen has just 5,163 passing yards. He is far too inaccurate at times and relies too heavily on his running.
Those are things that used to surround Newton as well. He has shedded those criticisms though. And now has arguably the greatest coach in football history helping him figure some things out.
Newton also has Julian Edelman at wide receiver. That right there might already be the best target he's had in years.
Add in N'Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu Sr. and Newton has some serious weapons around him. Yes, the tight end is a question mark and the running back is not as set as it was at this time last year (Sony Michel had a disappointing 2019).
But Newton is still in a great spot. And the Patriots are the reigning (a lot) AFC East champions.
Usually, the saying is that they are still the best team until someone proves otherwise. With New England, people were counting them out without a quarterback.
They have a quarterback now though. And Newton puts them right back in that oh so familiar spot, the favorites of the AFC East. Buffalo's time might be coming, just not yet.
Follow Us
Subscribe