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Cam Newton is reportedly meeting with the Carolina Panthers, who are apparently in need of a quarterback after Sam Darnold went down with an injury that would keep him out for multiple weeks. Should the Panthers sign Newton? The 32-year-old quarterback, who last played for the New England Patriots, is now looking for a job. With all that said, here are three reasons why the Panthers must reunite with Cam Newton.
He is available
This is the most obvious reason of all. The Panthers’ offense has stalled, and it needs a savior. The Sam Darnold experiment looked like a success in the early goings of the 2021 NFL regular season, with the Panthers sledgehammering the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, and the Houston Texans in three-straight wins to the start the season. That stretch now feels like it was decades ago. Since then, the Panthers have gone 1-5. The last time the Panthers were on the field, they got punched in the mouth by the New England Patriots at home to the tune of a 24-6 score. Darnold threw three interceptions to the Pats and also got his shoulder injured, as though the football gods gave Carolina every reason for them to put the kibosh on Darnold’s stint as the team’s starter.
Newton is a free agent and clearly is willing to make a grand return to his old stomping grounds. He’s certainly no longer the Cam Newton Panthers fans went crazy for back in the day, but in any case…
Cam Newton is an upgrade for the Panthers
If we have indeed seen the last of Darnold as a starting quarterback for the Panthers, here’s how his stat line looks like in that capacity: 1,986 passing yards, seven touchdowns, 11 interceptions to go with a 35.8 quarterback rating. Darnold didn’t need to suffer an injury for Carolina to realize that he is simply not the man for the job. In arguably his best game this season, Darnold passed for two touchdowns and an interception while completing 26-of-38 passes while also getting sacked twice in a win at home over the Saints. That’s the high point of his stint with the Panthers, thus far, which isn’t impressive in the first place.
Of course, the Panthers have PJ Walker, but what does Carolina really know about him? He’s an unproven commodity that they can’t pin their hopes for a playoff run on. Since entering the league in 2020, Walker only has a touchdown against five interceptions. He has a career 42.0 passer rating and a 49.3 pass completion percentage. Walker would have been a worthy experiment for the Panthers, but now is not an ideal time for Carolina to do laboratory work on the field. They need someone with experience, a quarterback who is familiar with pressure and the grind.
Newton also does not need any introduction to the Panthers’ best player in running back Christian McCaffrey. CMC was already with the Panthers before Newton left Carolina, so chemistry between the two shouldn’t be an issue. With his dual-threat capabilities, Newton can stretch defenses a whole lot better than Darnold to provide McCaffrey, D. J. Moore, and Robby Anderson with bigger spaces to operate. As of Week 9, the Panthers are just 30th in the NFL in yards per play and also 30th in yards per pass.
In his only season with the Patriots, Newton started 15 games and amassed 2,657 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those passing numbers are nothing to write home about, but under Matt Rhule and back in a familiar atmosphere, who's to say Newton can't improve on those stats?
Also, here's former Panthers safety Tre Boston sharing his thoughts as to why the Panthers need to get Newton back.
GO GET CAM!! Simple!! At least give yourself a shot on Offense! Defense is playing the best I’ve seen since 2015!! Give them a chance while the NFC is down in total! Slide 7th seed and make a run! Does this make sense or am I trippin?! Maybe I am trippin! Tell me who trippin!😏🤔
Cam will invigorate the fanbase
Getting Newton, at the very least, will be some sort of fanservice. Newton’s impact on the Panthers organization is immeasurable. He brought Carolina to four appearances in the playoffs, including one deep run in the 2015 season when the franchise reached the Super Bowl. However the season churns out for the Panthers, seeing Newton under center again for the team will be a terrific moment for Carolina’s fans, most of whom would rather see a damaged version of Newton try to galvanize their squad than Darnold, Walker, or Matt Barkley.
