Mohamed Sanu and new Patriots quarterback Cam Newton have already started working out together

Cam Newton has only been a member of the New England Patriots for a few days, but he is already getting acclimated to his new team: the former league MVP, who reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Patriots on Sunday, spent his Tuesday at the UCLA facility in Los Angeles in order to work out together with New England wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.

Some footage of the workout was shared by wide receiver coach Drew Lieberman on social media:

When Newton arrived in New England, he joined a quarterback group that also included second-year man Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer. All three men are expected to compete for the starting role with Patriots legend Tom Brady having left the organization after two decades earlier this offseason. Based on his track record and experience as an NFL-level starter — he served as the Carolina Panther’s QB1 for nine seasons — Newton should be seen as the favorite to win the competition.

Getting some early work done with his pass catchers should only help him do that. After all, both Stidham and Hoyer also were active during the offseason — one that saw all on-field practice sessions canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic — by holding passing sessions in Massachusetts that were attended by wideouts Julian Edelman and Damiere Byrd, among others. Newton following their example, albeit on the other side of the country and with only Sanu by his side, can therefore also be seen as a positive.

Sanu, meanwhile, is continuing to work his way back from offseason ankle surgery. The 30-year-old, who arrived via trade from the Atlanta Falcons last year, suffered a high-ankle sprain in just his third game with the Patriots and was limited through the rest of the season because of the injury. As of late, however, the veteran pass catcher has increased his practice workload and is reportedly in as good a shape as he has been before the medical procedure in early March.

“I would tell you he’s probably faster, quicker, leaner and in better shape now than prior to the surgery. I would say he’s way ahead of any doctor’s knowledge or prediction where he would have been at this point. Way ahead of the curve,” his personal coach, Hilton Alexander, recently said about Sanu.