Patriots

Cam Newton reportedly working to ‘rebuild’ his fundamentals this offseason

Newton threw for just 2,657 yards in 2020.

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (1) throws the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)

By Conor Roche

May 23, 2021

Cam Newton’s first season in New England certainly didn’t go the way he planned, and he’s making changes to fix that.

Newton has worked with a throwing coach this offseason to “rebuild some of his fundamentals,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported in his Sunday notes column. Some players who worked out with Newton at voluntary programs this past week noticed changes in Newton’s throwing, Reiss added.

“Some teammates view Newton as getting off to a nice start last week,” Reiss wrote.

Newton has dealt with injuries in recent years that could have affected his throwing motion. In 2018, Newton suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder that shortened his season and forced him to have surgery. Following that year, Newton changed his throwing motion to help take some strain off his shoulder. However, Newton didn’t have much time to show off his new mechanics in 2019 as a LisFranc fracture ended his season after two games.

In April, throwing expert Tom House, who’s worked with Tom Brady in the past, said that Newton’s further removal from those injuries could lead to a turnaround season in 2021.

“What people don’t realize is Cam has been injured,” House said in an interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk Podcast. “He hasn’t had the ability to work on mechanics like he should or could have because his health was an issue. And what you saw with the pandemic and all the upheaval and weird things that were going on with the day-to-day process, he probably didn’t have the time, or what I would say — his efforts had to be directed toward just plain competing.”

“I think his foot injury bothered him more than his shoulder injury,” House later added. “These athletes throw with their feet. The quicker their feet, the quicker their release. He went through a full year where he couldn’t step and throw without pain in his foot.”

In 2020, Newton threw for 2,657 yards and just eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Newton re-signed with the Patriots in March, agreeing to a one-year deal. While the Patriots drafted quarterback Mac Jones in the first round of this year’s draft, Bill Belichick stated that Newton is still the team’s starter.