It's no secret the could stand to upgrade at the quarterback position behind . They thought they'd achieved that goal when they guaranteed roughly $2 million in 2020, but they found out the hard way just how badly they had failed that mi sion -- with a combination of Dalton, and (to a le ser extent) mustering only four combined wins in 11 games after Prescott was lost for the year to a fractured ankle suffered in Week 5. Fast forward to 2021, and and while has regained the role of QB2 in Dallas, the ' decision to unexpectedly release instantly makes him .And that's what the Cowboys are currently doing, but nothing more. The team isn't ruling out po sibly adding Newton to
the roster "at the moment,", but don't go letting your horse out of the barn just yet.For while they have some interest in him, it's being described as "basic at best," and they're not prioritizing him over any of the other quarterbacks who are now either a free agent or headed to the waiver wire on the final day of offseason roster cuts. Furthermore, and this is a ma sive variable to inject into the conversation, the Cowboys are viewing the
unvaccinated status of Newton as a talking point in their in-house discu sions. As an unvaccinated player, if Newton were to be moved to the COVID/Reserve list during the season, he'd be quarantined a mandatory 10 days, whereas vaccinated players are permitted to return once they're symptom-free and produce two negative tests that are at least 24 hours apart.Newton had a recent run-in with NFL COVID-19 protocol when he wasn't allowed to return to the Patriots for five days due to a misunderstanding in testing protocol that saw him visit an outside facility for testing, and that opened the door for rookie first-round pick to finalize his coup for the starting job in New England. It also served as a glimpse into the complications that would arise should Newton -- or any unvaccinated player -- run afoul of the league's COVID-19 protocols. That player will mi s time, and depending on the timing and severity of the violation, it could be a game or two. Should those games be pivotal in deciding playoff seeding (all of them are, but some are certainly more impactful than others), the team as a whole could be handicapped (ask the, circa 2020). And for the Cowboys, it goes deeper, because they're looking forward to finally getting Prescott back on the field in Week 1 and keeping him there for the entire ride, but inserting an unvaccinated player into the QB room creates added risk. Should Newton be moved to the
COVID/Reserve list, it creates the po sibility that Prescott might be as well, based on contact tracing. CAR QB #1 Prescott, who sources say is vaccinated, could return quickly, but if it happens hours before a game -- as one example -- he won't have time to clear the protocol, and the Cowboys could be without both their QB1 and QB2 at the same time. Now, to be fair, vaccinated persons could still contract COVID-19, but it's also true that the Cowboys would be well within their rights to not willingly introduce the increased risk of having an unvaccinated player around their franchise QB (and roster on the whole), even if that person has contracted and recovered from the novel coronavirus in the past.It's also key to note that unvaccinated players must wait five days before being allowed to join whatever team they sign on with, e.g., safety , who had to wait that very timeframe to enter the Cowboys facility when he agreed to terms in August but who is now also fully vaccinated. Contrarily, vaccinated free agents must only submit one negative test, and they're green lit to suit up. Again, this is not a simple conversation, but you're beginning to see why the Cowboys are not exactly falling over
themselves to get Newton on the roster; and particularly for a team whose owner has drawn a thick line in the sand regarding vaccination, having now seen his team approach a player vaccination rate of 100 percent as the season opener approaches. From there, to an also important degree, the question on if Newton can still perform at a high level is a justifiable one. He has looked mostly like a shell of his former MVP form in the recent past, but it's also hard to argue that he might be better than Rush.Newton had a solid second preseason game for the Patriots this August -- throwing for 103 yards with a touchdown to no interceptions -- but threw for a combined 59 yards with no touchdowns to one interception with only six completions in 12 attempts in his other two outings. In his attempt to replace Tom Brady in 2020, he finished with a record of 7-8 and threw only
eight touchdowns but to sed 10 interceptions. So, again, for those wondering if Newton still has the juice, his play as of late indicates he's on a rapid decline.As far as pay goes, because of offset language in the Patriots contract, the Cowboys could get away with paying him the veteran minimum (10-year scale) of $1.08 million -- half of what they paid Dalton -- so at least that works in his favor. That said, would he better in 2021 than Rush or someone else outside of the organization currently looking for NFL work at QB, considering his resume and potential scheme fit behind Prescott? Maybe, but maybe not, and this adds to the due diligence the Cowboys are doing on the matter.
23 Ноября 2024, 17:47:30
