Few things are set in stone with the Patriots ahead of this season, but Willie McGinest is pretty confident in who he expects to see under center for New England come Week 1.
All signs pointed to 2019 fourth-rounder Jarrett Stidham replacing Tom Brady as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. That was until New England went out and signed Cam Newton, who arrives to Foxboro with a wealth of experience and a level of pedigree.
Bill Belichick, unsurprisingly, was relatively mum last week when addressing his team’s quarterback situation, though he suggested it would be an open competition for the starting gig this summer. McGinest, however, isn’t sure it will be much of a battle.
“Well, they say it’s a competition, but if you are asking my opinion, I expect to see Cam Newton start at the quarterback position,” McGinest said on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe,” as transcribed by Boston.com. “If he’s healthy he’s the guy.”
There’s been no indication Newton isn’t 100 percent healthy entering his first training camp with the Patriots. Furthermore, the 2015 NFL MVP appears motivated as ever to prove his doubters wrong and reposition himself as one of the league’s top signal-callers.
So yeah, it’s tough to disagree with McGinest’s prediction.
