Written by: Tyler Deakin
The Seahawks are fresh off a crushing loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. Not only did they lose the game, but the team also lost franchise QB Russell Wilson to a finger injury as well. He recently underwent surgery to repair a fractured middle finger, and his recovery timeline is 6 to 8 weeks. “Mr. Unlimited” is hopeful that he will be able to play in Week 10 against the Packers, but that remains to be seen. Cam Newton’s arguably the best free agent QB on the market, and surely he would love to play for a contending team like the Seahawks. Could Cam Newton compete with Geno Smith to earn the starting gig in Seattle? I will break down why Newton is a good fit for the Seahawks temporary starting position below.
Similar skillset to Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is at his best when he’s on the move & extending plays outside the pocket. His mobility & ability to make plays in the passing & running games is essential to the Seahawks success. Cam Newton has clearly regressed as a passer in recent years; however, he’s still dangerous as a runner as evidenced by his 592 rushing yards & 12 rushing TDs last year. It’s also conceivable that the Patriots lack of quality receivers was detrimental to his success last year, as his former team clearly made investing in skill position talent a priority this offseason. I believe that it’s possible that Newton could find better success in Seattle with a better rushing attack led by RB Chris Carson & better receiving weapons in WRs DK Metcalf & Tyler Lockett.
Russ’ return is questionable
It’s no guarantee that Wilson returns in Week 10, nor is it guaranteed that his return will go smoothly to where he’s a competitive football player. After all, this is an injury to the middle finger of his throwing hand which is a basic necessity for NFL quarterbacks. I’m not saying that this injury is career threatening, but could it lead to a prolonged recovery timeline? Absolutely. That’s another reason why signing Cam Newton as insurance at QB could benefit the Seahawks.
Lack of better options on the market
Blake Bortles & Robert Griffin III headline the list of good free agent quarterbacks still available. Yikes. Newton’s surely the best of this bunch, both in terms of starting experience & upside. Seattle has incumbent QB Geno Smith as the fill-in starter; however, his most recent extensive starting experience came in 2014 with the Jets. Cam has 10 years of starting experience, a 2015 NFL MVP award, and a Super Bowl berth on his resume. He’s not perfect by any means, but you could certainly do worse in terms of looking for a spot starter mid-season. Could we see Cam Newton in a Seahawks jersey this season? It’s certainly seems possible.