Joe Theismann Says Deshaun Watson Is Better Than Cam Newton, But That's Not Saying Much

Joe Theismann thinks a lot of Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans’ second-year quarterback, and there is good reason for that. Watson was great in college, and he was a ray of light for Houston before he tore his ACL.

In seven games, Watson threw for 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and ran for another 269 yards.

Pretty good. Better than Cam Newton, though? Theismann pretty much thinks so, as he told the Houston Chronicle.

"“He’s more accurate than Cam Newton, faster than Cam Newton, more elusive than Cam Newton.”"

Better hair than Cam Newton, funnier than Cam Newton, better gift-giver than Cam Newton, better writer than Cam Newton. Where does it stop?

Because Newton won an MVP award, this all sounds a little iffy at first glance. But Theismann isn’t saying anything crazy here. Newton has a career quarterback rating of 85.3. The league average last year was 88.6, a figure Newton has topped just twice in his career. Newton has averaged 13.4 interceptions per year and has a career completion percentage of 58.5, which is also below the league average.

The quality and shape of Newton’s career is, as judged by Pro Football Reference, about the same as such greats as Andy Dalton, Scott Mitchell and Panthers legend Jake Delhomme.

In other words, Cam Newton is an exceedingly average starting quarterback who is having an average career. It won’t take much for Watson to prove Theismann right.