Much has been made about whether Cam Newton will start for the New England Patriots to begin the season or not.

While the Patriots are concerned with the status of his foot, they are more concerned with his shoulder ailment, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

“Multiple sources I've spoken to have said if they're concerned about any Newton injury, it's his shoulder far more than his foot. Newton had surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury back in December, and that came after months of trying to avoid going under the knife again. His two shoulder surgeries came in March 2017 and January 2019, and I've been closing monitoring his throwing since.”

Newton's 2019 season was cut short due to a Lisfranc injury that he suffered in Week 2. The dynamic quarterback would undergo surgery on his foot back in December. However, in the past few years, Newton has undergone two surgeries to his shoulder.

During the 2018 season, Newton was playing lights out for the Carolina Panthers. In the first eight weeks, the Patriots' newest signal-caller contributed 1,893 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Sadly, his season would take a downturn after he sustained a shoulder injury in Week 10. As a result, just in the past two seasons, the All-Pro quarterback has missed 16 games.

Of course, despite what Bill Belichick says, Newton is the favorite to win the starting job in New England. If he's healthy, the former NFL MVP gives the Patriots the best chance to win games. But his health, specifically his shoulder, is what makes New England hesitant to guarantee an injury-free season in 2020.