Redskins’ Ron Rivera: ‘Don’t bet against Cam Newton with Patriots…’

Cam Newton will soon see the football field with the New England Patriots, and there are still people who doubt his skills. Well, Ron Rivera from the Washington Redskins has something else to say.

Rivera has been working for the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons. Newton was his starting quarterback during that time. The coach talked about Newton’s physical health on 670 The Score in Chicago. Is Newton healthy? He sustained a lot of injuries in the past two seasons.

Well, Rivera watched Newton’s videos, and he has nothing but words of praise for the 31-year-old quarterback.

“He’s headed in the right direction,” Rivera said on the McNeil & Parkins Show. “I mean, he’s probably about as healthy as it gets from what I’ve seen on video. I think he’s ready to bust out. I would never bet against the young man, that’s for sure.”

Cam Newton was great with the Panthers

Newton has most of the Panthers’ career passing records. He missed 14 games in 2019 due to a foot fracture. He also missed the final two games in 2018 due to a shoulder injury that forced him to undergo a surgery.

Newton will sign a one-year deal with the Patriots as confirmed by multiple sources. The Patriots were the only organization to show interest in Newton after the Panthers released him in March as noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Rivera is coaching the Redskins now. He believes that the coronavirus pandemic was the only reason NFL teams didn’t go after Newton. The quarterback couldn’t work out with teams, and coaches weren’t able to meet him. The Redskins didn’t try to get Newton because of Dwayne Haskins.

“Honestly, if the circumstances would have allowed us, I would have had no issues with that,” Rivera said. “I would have been very confident and comfortable in going after him and bringing him to be part of what we’re doing here. To me, those circumstances would have been going through an opportunity to see what we have in Dwayne.”

Newton will have to work really hard to earn the trust of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He will have to compete for the starting job.