After starting the season 6-2 the Carolina Panthers looked well on their way to becoming one of the top teams in the NFL. The reason? Quarterback Cam Newton was setting the league ablaze in his first year operating within offensive coordinator, Norv Turner’s system. Newton had logged 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions. If that production had remained level for the rest of the season Newton could’ve challenged Patrick Mahomes in the 2018 NFL MVP race.
Yet, the Panthers lost six of their final seven games and ultimately missed the playoffs. What changed during the second half of the season? Cam Newton’s health. The team reported in Week 16 that he had been experiencing pain in his throwing shoulder and with Carolina’s postseason hopes all but gone they opted to rest the face of the franchise for the remainder of the season. By then, Newton petered off and finished with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on the year.
Newton would undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder nearly a month later on January 24th. It would be his second shoulder surgery–rotator cuff surgery in March 2017–in as many years, doubt was seeping in around the organization of what the future would look like for their superstar quarterback. The Panthers would even select West Virginia quarterback Will Grier in the third round this spring.
On Tuesday, Carolina opened up their three-day mandatory minicamp and nonetheless, there was Cam on the field, dressed, and tossing the ball around. The Panthers live-streamed a 27-minute portion of their first day, highlighting Newton being involved in warmups and three drills.
It is obviously great news that Newton is on the field and throwing a ball less than five months after surgery, however, Newton was still slightly limited. The pecking order for reps went as follows: Will Grier, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Cam. Also during the drills shown Newton was selective in the attempts he took. Newton connected with D.J. Moore (twice), Chris Hogan (twice), Curtis Samuel, and Greg Olsen on a combination of shorter routes (hitches, quick outs, drags, and speed ins).
Word out of Carolina is that he’s limited right now to throwing to stationary targets only. The feeling is that the team doesn’t want to stress the shoulder so early into his recovery with throws that would put more force and wear on the surgically repaired shoulder. The Panthers felt that before Newton was sidelined for the final two games a year ago that when he was healthy he showed great progress in the footwork department and had the requisite zip and tight spiral on his throws.
It is unknown whether or not Carolina will choose to stream a portion of practice for the remainder of their minicamp, but even if they don’t, this short glimpse of Cam on the field served its purpose. Though the attempts were few and far between and the reps didn’t always come with the first-team, Newton looked like his usual self. He was bouncing around, dancing, laughing, talking, being an energetic and exuberant presence that the team could rally around.
The Panthers firmly believe that they have the necessary pieces around Newton to be an elite team. In the end, it won’t matter how great those players are if Cam can’t get back and stay on the field.
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