The Panthers keep insisting that days of rest for quarterback Cam Newton are the “new normal.”
But it doesn’t exactly seem normal for a starting quarterback to be held back to this extent.
According to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, Newton didn’t throw during the portion of practice open to reporters. He was listed as limited yesterday as well, with coach Ron Rivera describing it as “general soreness.”
That left Taylor Heinicke to take all the snaps, since he’s the only other quarterback on the roster, and they don’t have another one on the practice squad.
Newton proved last week that he can look both quite bad and quite good within a confined period of time, winning the NFC offensive player of the week award after going 9-of-17 for 68 yards in the first three quarters of the game. Granted, he was 16-of-22 for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading the Panthers back from a 17-0 deficit to win at Philadelphia.
Considering some of the rough stretches Newton has gone through this year, it’s reasonable to wonder if there’s a lingering issue after last year’s shoulder surgery, or whether Newton’s just going to have to deal with this kind of treatment the rest of the season.