Patriots Rumors: Cam Newton's Leeway as QB1 Revealed After Benching, Concerns

Cam Newton is reportedly not guaranteed to remain the New England Patriots' starting quarterback this season if he doesn't start to improve.

Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer said Sunday that while his leash isn't so short that he will be pulled after one mistake, Newton's leash isn't so long that head coach Bill Belichick will keep him in the lineup if he continues to play the way he has been:

Newton has thrown no touchdown passes and five interceptions in his past two games, and Glazer noted that those within the Patriots organization are "concerned" about the number of errors he has been making.

The veteran quarterback will look to get back on track Sunday when he and the 2-4 Patriots face the 5-2 Buffalo Bills on the road in a pivotal AFC East matchup.

After Tom Brady decided to end his 20-year run with the Pats by signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, the Patriots signed Newton to a bargain-basement contract, and he won the starting job over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.

It initially looked as though the Patriots had struck gold based on how well Newton played during the team's first three games, which yielded a 2-1 start.

In those games, Newton accounted for six touchdowns and threw two interceptions. Of those scores, four of them were on the ground.

Newton tested positive for COVID-19 prior to New England's game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots lost that game with Hoyer in the starting lineup and have not won a game since Newton led them to victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.

In losses to the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers over the past two weeks, Newton threw for a total of 255 yards with no touchdowns and five picks. He also rushed for 95 yards and one score.

After throwing three interceptions against San Francisco, Newton was pulled during the third quarter of New England's 33-6 loss to the Niners last week.

During an appearance on WEEI after that game, Belichick gave Newton a vote of confidence, per Boston.com's Hayden Bird:

"I think he's our best player there, so again there are other problems offensively. There are things we need to do better and that is what we're going to work on. I think we have our best players out there. We just have to find a way to be more productive. We have been at times, but we certainly weren't yesterday, and we need to see if we can improve that."

While Belichick may believe the former NFL MVP is the best quarterback on his roster, there may come a time when the miscues pile up too much to keep turning to him.

If that happens, then Stidham is the likeliest candidate to step in and start. Prior to the signing of Newton, it was widely expected that the 2019 fourth-round pick out of Auburn would replace Brady.

The Patriots have won the AFC East in 11 consecutive seasons and 16 of the past 17, but that remarkable run is in danger of ending if Newton can't turn things around.