Cam Newton tweaked his throwing motion this offseason and he’s talked about making other changes to the way he plays, but there hasn’t been a chance to see any of the alterations in a game yet this summer.
The plan is for that to change on Thursday in New England. Head coach Ron Rivera said on Monday that the team expects all of their starters, including Newton, to play against the Patriots.
Linebacker Luke Kuechly and running back Christian McCaffrey have also been held out of the first two preseason games and are expected back for a game that Rivera thinks will tell him some useful things about his team.
“They’ve been the gold standard for a long time,” Rivera said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “You want to go out and see just how good you are. It is a good measuring stick as to who we can be as a football team.”
The Panthers wrap up the preseason against the Steelers on August 29, but Newton, Kuechly and company will almost certainly sit out that game and turn their attention toward facing the Rams in Week One.
