The Carolina Panthers have a fairly major concern as the start of the 2017 NFL season draws near. Superstar quarterback Cam Newton is coming off offseason surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and has only taken one snap in the preseason thus far.

At this point, the Panthers brass doesn't know how healthy or ready for the upcoming regular season Newton is. Head coach Ron Rivera recently admitted as much, via ESPN's Dave Newton.

“He's still taking steps,” Rivera said following practice Tuesday. “You really won't know 'til the opener. Just the way it is. Nobody knew what he would be like his rookie year. That's kind of how this is going to be. We won't know until we open up in San Francisco.”

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Newton's health will be the team's primary concern moving forward. Although the team was able to upgrade offensively with the addition of rookie running back Christian McCaffrey, not having a healthy Newton under center changes the outlook of the upcoming season for the Panthers.

The former NFL MVP may be coming off a disappointing season, but when healthy and playing up to his potential, he's arguably one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. Newton can single-handedly steer Carolina in the right direction as they attempt to reclaim their status as a force to be reckoned with in the NFC.

The Panthers will get their regular-season campaign underway on Sept. 10 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Newton will likely be under center barring any setbacks, but whether he's the superstar quarterback the team is used to seeing remains to be seen.