Would signing Cam Newton make the Steelers a Super Bowl contender?

A CBS Sports analyst believes the Pittsburgh Steelers should sign the free-agent quarterback.

Cam Newton is still without a team for the 2020 NFL season and there has been no sign of interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers in signing the free-agent quarterback. Despite the Steelers’ continued commitment to Ben Roethlisberger as their starting signal-caller, people still can’t help but think how good of a fit Newton would be for the black and gold.

If Pittsburgh were to even consider bringing in the former Carolina Panthers quarterback, it would be to take the role as Roethlisberger’s backup. Perhaps things would change in 2021, but the Steelers are not looking for a new starting passer for the upcoming season.

One person who is still pushing the narrative that Pittsburgh should pursue Newton is CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo. He recently mentioned that signing the former MVP quarterback could vault the Steelers to a contending level in 2020.

Would the Pittsburgh Steelers be a Super Bowl contender if they signed Cam Newton?

DeArdo listed three moves that he thinks could turn Pittsburgh into a Super Bowl contender this year and one of them is adding Newton to the roster. He believes the veteran passer could come in and be an upgrade over current Steelers No. 2 quarterback, Mason Rudolph.

"“It still makes sense to at least look into signing Cam Newton, a former league MVP who is still just 31-years-old. At the least, the Steelers could sign Newton with the caveat that he is entering a position battle with Rudolph to be the team’s primary backup. It’s safe to say that Newton would bring out the best in Rudolph, whose current competition, Devlin Hodges, does not even have a guaranteed spot on Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster at this point in time.”"

While Newton is reportedly open to being a backup somewhere in 2020, it still seems pretty unlikely. He’s been a full-time starter for the last nine years and now he’s just going to be fine as a No. 2 signal-caller next season? It just doesn’t seem very believable.

If he was truly willing to be a backup somewhere, don’t people think a team would have signed him by now? Guys like Mike Glennon, Blaine Gabbert, and Geno Smith have signed deals this offseason to compete for a backup spot in 2020 and Newton is miles better than all three of these guys.

If Newton is fine with sitting behind Roethlisberger for a year or two at a price that isn’t very high, then sure Pittsburgh should pursue him. But there has been nothing really legitimate to indicate that the former Panthers quarterback has ruled out being a starter in 2020 just yet.

Until that happens, his chances of landing with the Steelers still appear to be very small.