Eagles Today

Cam Newton Lists Eagles' Jalen Hurts as QB He’d Be Willing To Back Up

The former MVP is looking to return to the NFL, and listed Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts as one he would be willing to be an understudy for.

Tim Kelly

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Cam Newton doesn't believe that there are 32 quarterbacks in the NFL currently that are better than him, but is seemingly aware that after not playing in 2022, he may have to accept a backup job to get his foot back in the door.

To that end, Newton listed 12 quarterbacks he would be willing to back up, and among them was Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts:

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Of course, the Eagles introduced Marcus Mariota as their backup on Wednesday, so there's no reason to think they would have interest in Newton. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see the level of respect that Newton has for Hurts, in that he would be willing to back him up despite having once been one of the faces of the sport.

The problem with signing Newton as a backup is that he has a larger-than-life personality and there are plenty of players in the league currently that looked up to him when they were in high school or college. Even if Newton was the perfect solider, his presence alone could become a distraction if the starter falters at all.

Additionally, Newton has thrown more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (12) over his list two NFL stints, which he spent with the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. It's unclear what Newton has left as a passer at this stage.

With that said, Newton ran for 12 touchdowns in 2020 with the Patriots, and tacked on another five in parts of eight games for the Panthers in 2021. If he was behind a cemented starting quarterback, not only could he be injury insurance, but he could be utilized as a red zone and short-yardage weapon on the ground.

There's a scenario where Newton could still bring value to an NFL team in 2023. That team just isn't the Eagles.

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science. 

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