How Cam’s Mobility Affects His Throwing Ability…

We have a huge presumption going into the 2020 NFL season that Cam Newton is a dual threat QB and that his legs are going to be a massive weapon for the Patriots.

Part of that is true, and part of that is not. His legs appear to be a huge weapon as long as he is running the ball. Sounds logical, so what’s the catch?

While Newton has been dangerous in the running game, 92% of his pass attempts have come from inside the tackle box since 2016.

Only Carson Palmer (94%), Ben Roethlisberger (94%), Philip Rivers (94%) and Tom Brady (93%) threw more often from inside the box among qualified QBs.

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 29, 2020

So… Newton has averaged 38.4 yards per game rushing in his career, which is very good for a quarterback, but as far as moving the pocket goes, he doesn’t really do that with the intention to throw…

Since 2016, Newton's Completion Pct Over Expected (CPOE) by pocket location drops significantly when throwing from outside the tackle box.

Inside Tackle Box
➤ -0.8% CPOE

Outside Tackle Box
➤ -8.6% CPOE

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 29, 2020