The Atlanta Falcons need a good quarterback. Only two out of four in their QB room are healthy, and starter Cooper Rush did not mark a strong debut vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. Atlanta native and former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton is looking.
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Bleacher Report shared a tweet that read “@atlantafalcons gone head and put your pride aside and make the call to @CameronNewton.” The page followed it up with videos of Newton nailing passes, that too in his loafers. The post caught the former quarterback’s eye.
“-1ǒVẼ🤟🏾” he wrote in the comments.
Point to be noted: Cam Newton has not played an NFL game since the 2021 season. But he is yet to officially declare his retirement. Newton also has a stellar record against Atlanta, racking up more than 3,400 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns (including rushing scores) in 16 meetings with the Falcons.
In 2023, the former MVP said he was open to taking a backup role and even included Tagovailoa among the quarterbacks he would be willing to play behind.
Fox Sports personalities Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson had also floated the idea of the Falcons calling Newton earlier that same week, with Sharpe asking directly on Nightcap, “Should the Falcons call Cam?”
“It can’t hurt,” Johnson replied. “Might as well kick the tires. What we talking about?”
“He ain’t got to be Superman, not with that damn offense,” former NBA player “Iso” Joe Johnson added.
Atlanta entered Week 1 with absolute chaos at quarterback. With Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared medically, the team chose Tua Tagovailoa as the starter. The former Miami Dolphins needed this season to prove his worth, as his former team cut him after a disappointing few years. Then, during practice, Tagovailoa hurt his oblique muscle and was ruled out for the opener.
That thrust Cooper Rush, who was formerly No. 3 in the QB chart, into the fire. He stepped in for Tagovailoa as QB1 but ended up losing the opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rush went 12-of-22 for 143 yards, tallied a 51.9 passer rating, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
The second interception hurt badly. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt read the route, picked off Rush and took it back for a touchdown.
“He battled like I knew he would,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game. “Proud of him for how he fought through the end. Obviously, we don’t want to turn the ball over and those kind of things, but we’ve got to look at ways that we can help.”
Atlanta also had seven penalties in the first half, and kicker Nick Folk missed twice before finally making one in the third quarter.
Per ESPN NFL NextGen Stats, Rush could not land a pass while in pressure and struggled most when he held the ball longer than 2.5 seconds. He was 6-of-14 attempts for 83 yards and 2 interceptions.
Fans should expect yet another QB roulette ahead of Week 2. But they might be in luck, because Penix has been targeting a Week 2 or Week 3 return, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tagovailoa is still week-to-week.
That puts pressure on the Falcons to also perhaps consider rookie Jack Strand, who took first-team reps in camp with Penix sidelined and Tagovailoa dealing with a tight back. But Strand is perhaps going to be sent out only when all else fails.
Though Newton was perhaps one of the best quarterbacks to play in Carolina, he grew up a Falcons fan. In fact, he boldly claimed in 2013 that he’s an Atlanta fan save for the two days when the Panthers play against them, as they are division rivals.
In 2012, Newton and the Panthers defeated the Falcons 30-20. He threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a career-best 116 yards and a touchdown. Per StatMuse, the former quarterback is 6-10 against the Falcons.
Would the hometown hero be inclined to make a comeback?