Two offseasons ago, following his second throwing-shoulder surgery in as many seasons, Cam Newton turned heads by unveiling a reconstructed throwing motion going into the 2019 season with the Carolina Panthers.

But we never got to see if it would bring the career renaissance people hoped for due to a preseason foot injury that hampered his progress and ended his season after just two games.

With his career possibly on the line in 2021, Newton’s tinkering with his throwing motion again to see if he can recapture what he lost.

A Sunday report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss highlighted the veteran’s recent work with a throwing coach to “rebuild some of his fundamentals.” Several teammates reportedly have noticed the difference and see Newton as getting off to a “nice start” this offseason.

What might that new throwing motion look like, exactly? A brief snippet of video from Newton working out in Los Angeles (alongside Odell Beckham Jr.) might provide a glimpse.

Obviously, none of the throws in this video or in the Patriots’ offseason work so far are coming against live competition or with pads on. So it’s hard to read too much into these reps yet.

But the limited number of throws and drills available in the workout above illustrate a focus on keeping his arm tighter to his body, focusing on a higher release point, and getting the ball out more quickly.

This certainly wouldn’t be the first time Newton has honed in on those specific fundamentals.

Following that second surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, Newton worked with throwing guru Tom House during his shoulder rehab and looked like an entirely different quarterback in 2019 training camp. He was standing taller on his front foot, delivering the ball with a more compact, over-the-top release, and stepping more toward his targets than he used to.

Of course, we never got to truly see what that revamped motion looked like in game action. Newton suffered a LisFranc injury to his left foot in his lone 2019 preseason appearance and struggled through two regular-season starts before being shut down for good. The Panthers released him that offseason.

Then, the version of Newton the Patriots got in 2020 was much like the old one — wide-based, throwing off his back foot, and torquing his surgically repaired arm heavily.

The results weren’t pretty. Though his 65.8 completion percentage was the second-best of his career, he passed for just 2,657 yards in today’s pass-happy league. He passed for fewer than 100 yards in a game four times and had nine passes batted down at the line of scrimmage (fourth-worst in the NFL).

But House said Newton’s reversion to his old mechanics was a product both of his foot injury and the whirlwind 2020 offseason. With more time removed from the injury and a more normal offseason in which to focus on his mechanics, Tom Brady’s old throwing coach says he expects Newton to throw the ball better this year.

In theory, these re-focused fundamentals — from keeping his release compact to using his core and legs to generate velocity rather than just his arm alone — could allow Newton to throw more accurately and powerfully to all parts of the field without overtaxing his shoulder.

But until the pads start popping and the angry 300-pound men come after him, no one can predict how well Newton will stick to those principles.

If he reverts back to his old ways again and his passing suffers, he won’t be the Patriots’ quarterback for long with Mac Jones waiting in the wings.