If Washington wants Cam Newton, keep Marty Hurney out of it
By Dean Jones
Could Washington sign Cam Newton?
If the Washington Football Team wants to sign Cam Newton this offseason, then it’s probably best for them to keep Marty Hurney out of the discussions. There is going to be some resentment from the quarterback to his former general manager, who was recently appointed as executive vice president of football/player personnel following David Tepper’s decision to let him go.
For all Hurney’s faults regarding bad contracts, he is sure to aid Washington’s draft process. His record of hitting home runs with first-round picks during his time with the Carolina Panthers is well documented and judging by the progression shown by Ron Rivera’s team as the campaign went on, they aren’t too far away from having a legitimate contender on their hands.
However, they do have some questions to answer at quarterback.
Kyle Allen suffered a serious injury early in 2020, former first-rounder Dwayne Haskins didn’t work out and was subsequently released, and although Alex Smith will be the runaway winner of the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, whether he’ll be around in 2021 is up for debate.
Newton would go into the organization knowing exactly what Rivera wants. The pair thrived together in Carolina and there are far better weapons for the signal-caller to utilize if he ended up in the NFC East.
Washington has emerging talent such as Terry McLaurin, Cam Sims, and Logan Thomas in the passing game, with the running back tandem of Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic looking like a dynamic duo who would only excel further with a dual-threat weapon like Newton under center.
Newton won’t have a plethora of teams banging down the door this offseason – and certainly not for a starting role. This means he has to look past Hurney’s involvement in Washington if an offer comes along and focus more on a reunion with a coach he deeply respects in Rivera.