Quarterback will be a position of need this offseason for the Washington Football Team, and perhaps a Ron Rivera-Cam Newton reunion could be in the cards.
The duo goes back a ways, spending nine seasons together with the Carolina Panthers, where Rivera was the head coach and Newton largely was an MVP-caliber quarterback.
WFT’s quarterback depth chart includes Alex Smith, Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke, so, clearly, there is room for improvement. As it relates to Newton, Rivera isn’t totally closing the door.
“I think the biggest thing we can say, guys, is that we’re exploring all of our options,” Rivera said Wednesday, via NBC Sports Washington. “Nothing is off the table. Again, as we go through this, we’re going to do what we believe is best for us.”
Of course, the new league year doesn’t begin until mid-March, so Newton technically still is a member of the New England Patriots. It would be tampering if Rivera came out and point blank said they would pursue Newton, hence the careful verbiage.
It’s also fair to ask how much of an upgrade Newton would be over Smith — or even Allen. While still an effective ball carrier, Newton’s throwing ability was a wild ride this season. Some of that can be contributed to the lack of weapons around him with the Patriots, but a fair amount of the onus falls on the 31-year-old, as well.
