#Cam Newton-Bill Belichick Patriots combo is ‘terrifying:’ Greg Van Roten

An offseason addition to the Jets’ offensive line thinks the Cam Newton-Bill Belichick union could be disastrous — for the rest of the league.

“What does he bring to the Patriots?” former Panthers guard Greg Van Van Roten told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s definitely terrifying to think if Cam Newton’s healthy and he’s in Belichick’s offense, you know, in my division, it could be a long year for the other teams, because he’s a game changer.”

Van Roten, 30, entered the league in 2012 as an undrafted free agent from the University of Pennsylvania. The unanimous All-Ivy lineman has played for the Packers, Seahawks, Jaguars and most recently, alongside Newton for three years as a member of the Panthers. Van Roten spoke specifically of the athleticism and versatility of the new Patriots signal-caller.

“He came into the league, you know, he’s a league MVP, brought a team to the Super Bowl — he’s just built differently than a lot of quarterbacks,” Van Roten said. “And he’s a headache to game plan for. So when he’s healthy, you can stop the run from him, but then you gotta defend the pass. If you can stop the pass, well then you’ve got to account for the run. So, it’s basically, pick one thing and he’ll do the other.”

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound hog molly played all 16 games for the Panthers at left guard in 2018, and 11 games in 2019 before suffering a dislocated toe in Week 12 that landed him on injured reserve. He signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Jets on March 21.

Newton, 31, was released from the Panthers in March after spending most of the 2019 season sidelined with a Lisfranc injury. He has dealt with multiple injuries since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft due in part to his physical style of play.

His free-agency campaign — which was impacted heavily by his injury history and the coronavirus pandemic — finally came to an end in June when he signed a one-year deal that carries almost no risk for the cash-strapped Patriots.

In spite of his numerous injuries, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound former Heisman Trophy-winner is still considered a dynamic dual threat and an upgrade over Jarrett Stidham, the previously presumptive starter.

“You couple him with Belichick, who only cares about winning and Cam really wants to prove himself, so it’s definitely a recipe for disaster for the rest of the league if they can figure it out,” Van Roten added.

The Jets are scheduled to face off against the Patriots in Week 9 on Nov. 9 at home, and again in the final game of the season on Jan. 3 in Foxborough.