Cam Newton might be on a pitch count, but he can still bring the heater.
Via David Newton of ESPN.com, the Panthers quarterback cut loose a number of deep throws in his first camp practice since offseason shoulder surgery, which barring setbacks, should be a good sign for his recovery.
“He’s healthy and ready to go,’' quarterbacks coach Scott Turner said after practice. “He looked good. We will look at the film, but I felt good about it.’'
The last time we saw Newton throw, it wasn’t pretty. He admitted after the fact that he couldn’t throw 30 yards last fall, before the team shut him down for his own good. He had surgery in January, and even as recently as minicamp in June, was limited on throws, in both number and distance.
But Thursday night, he completed several deep balls, and Turner said he threw a normal amount.
“Everything we’ve been told and everything we saw pointed toward him being ready to go,’' Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “It did a lot for not just us, but it did a lot for him, just uncorking one like that.’'
As long as he continues on this trajectory, that will take care of one of the biggest questions the Panthers carry into the season.