Cam Newton can be ‘the guy’ again for the Carolina Panthers
When Cam Newton arrived at practice Friday for the first time since 2019, there was a familiar feeling in Charlotte.
Panthers fans waited behind barriers at the practice field just to get a glimpse of him. They recorded video and yelled out his name as he passed by on a golf cart with DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and a Panthers’ security person.
“Got my dawgs with me,” Newton said excitedly, as the golf cart zipped past, out of sight.
Newton, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Panthers on Thursday making his return to the team where it all began. And while quarterback P.J. Walker will likely start this week against the Cardinals, it will likely be Newton who gets the start in Week 11 — more than two years after he last played here.
“Honestly, I’m still floating,” Newton said at his first press conference this week.
For the Panthers, signing Newton was a temporary solution to fixing their quarterback issues — issues that have plagued them for the better part of three years. The Panthers have thrown a lot things at the wall, hoping they stick.
Unfortunately, none of them have and the Panthers are paying for it.
The Panthers are paying three different starting quarterbacks $21.77 million this year. They include Teddy Bridgewater ($7 million), who is starting for the Denver Broncos; Sam Darnold ($4.77 million), who is on the injured reserve; and now Newton (up to $10 million).
In other words, the Panthers are paying Newton’s replacement, his replacement’s replacement and his replacement’s replacement’s replacement, who happens to be the original player.
So the move for Newton must be different. Perhaps it can be.
Newton hasn’t played since August, and says he’s the healthiest he’s ever been.
“This ain’t for no ploy, this ain’t for no ticket sales, this ain’t for no Cinderella story,” Newton said. “I came here to win football games.”
“My mental going into this situation is to bring the pride back to Carolina.”
Icon returns
During his nine years in Charlotte, Newton went from the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 to becoming a Charlotte icon — and not just because of his performance on the field, but also the energy he brought to the city. Newton won the NFL MVP award for the 2015-16 season and led the team to their second Super Bowl appearance in team history. He danced on the field after touchdowns and celebrated with teammates to the dismay of angry moms in Tennessee.
He had the entire Carolinas doing the dab whenever he scored a touchdown.
“He brings a whole lot of swagger to the team,” said Jordan Gross, a former three-time Pro Bowler, who played left tackle for the Panthers from 2003-13. “You have Cam Newton on your team, and all of a sudden you’ve got belief that you can win the game. An injection of energy.”
That’s what the Panthers had been missing on offense. The Panthers rank 27th out 32 teams in the league in total offense.
They entered the 2021 season with hopes of seeing some improvement. Last season, the offense was among the worst in the NFL in red zone efficiency and in the fourth quarter comebacks. The Panthers were 0-for-8 in fourth quarter comeback attempts.
This past offseason, the Panthers unsuccessfully tried to engage in trade talks with the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions for Deshaun Watson and Matt Stafford respectively.
So they traded for Darnold, who became available after struggling in New York during his three seasons with the Jets. Then they traded away Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos.
The Panthers had hoped a change of scenery for both could would help.
So far, only one of those has proven to be true. Bridgewater has shown progress in Denver, throwing 14 touchdowns to only five interceptions throughout nine games this season.
Darnold played well in his first three games.
But since then he’s struggled.
Darnold has seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and is completing just 59.5% of his passes. The Panthers are 4-5. On Friday, Darnold was placed on the team’s injured reserve list as he nurses a broken shoulder blade in his right throwing shoulder.
The Panthers’ quarterback room continues to look like a revolving door. Seven quarterbacks — Newton, Taylor Heinike, Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Walker, Darnold — have started at least one game for the Panthers since the 2018 season.
Coach Matt Rhule said after learning of Darnold’s shoulder diagnosis and meeting with Panthers’ front office, he called Newton Tuesday night to ask him if he’d be willing to return to the organization.
At the time, Newton missed the call because he was feeding his children. It was “Taco Tuesday,” he said. When he saw that Rhule had called him, he wasn’t sure whether he was a joke.
So he called him back.
“We had an unbelievable conversation,” Newton said. “He told me what his expectations (are). It’s my job to execute what those expectations (are). Was there a disconnect in the past, it’s irrelevant. The fact that we’re able to make some wrongs right, that’s what’s exciting about it.”
Newton’s signing was met with optimism from players and coaches.
“Growing up watching the dude, Cam’s a legend, especially here in Charlotte,” defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos told the Observer. “I thought that was pretty cool, and I want to win. Anything that will help us win, I’m all for it.”
The uncertainty
If you watched sports debate shows of Newton’s return or looked on Twitter, there was a mix of opinions. Some thought it was a good move to sign Newton, while others were not as fond
With Newton’s signing, there is some uncertainty involved.
Newton hasn’t looked the same throwing the ball since the Panthers started the 2018 season 6-2 before losing the next six straight. He’s had two surgeries performed on his right throwing shoulder. Then he suffered a Lisfranc injury in 2019, limiting him to only two games.
Rhule made the decision to part ways with Newton in the 2020 offseason because they weren’t sure whether he was healthy.
In his lone season with the Patriots in 2020, Newton had an up and down season. He ran for 12 touchdowns, but he also threw more interceptions (10) than he threw (8) touchdowns. He lost the starting quarterback job to rookie quarterback Mac Jones the following preseason and was released.
Newton seems confident in his abilities, but even he acknowledged the uncertainty of it.
“It’s always mental that you can conquer and do anything, but you actually won’t know until you’re in that situation,” Newton said. “There’s the old saying, ‘stay ready. so you don’t have to get ready. I’ve been staying ready.’”
Newton is right. No one will know whether he can do the job until he actually steps foot on the field.
Newton could play well, then command big money on his next contract, and sign with the Panthers or another team next year.
He could play OK, and the Panthers could try and sign him to a multi-year deal to serve as a bridge gap for their quarterback of the future.
Or he could play horribly, and the Panthers are back where they started, still searching for a new quarterback. For Newton and the Panthers, they hope he plays well.
When asked about the possibility of Newton returning beyond this year, if he were to be successful, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said they aren’t at that point yet.
“We just need him to play really good football this weekend, next weekend and moving forward,” he said.
This story was originally published November 14, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
