Cam Newton wasn't going to play in preseason Week 4 even if he wasn't injured. But the Carolina Panthers didn't allow him to attend the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, either. According to The Athletic's Joe Person, the Panthers sent him home to keep him off his injured foot.
Newton suffered a foot sprain against the New England Patriots in Week 3. Head coach Ron Rivera noted the team is cautiously optimistic for his return before next week's regular-season opener. This week, however, the team got a good sign on his availability for when the games start to matter, as he was at practice without a boot on his foot.
Newton has been throwing in a limited fashion at practice, as well as doing his pre-cautionary shoulder exercises. Rivera mentioned on Monday that he looked good in his first time back.:
“He’s basically just striding (his throws) out right now, not driving off of his leg or anything like that,” he said, per the Charlotte Observer‘s Brendan Marks. “I didn’t get the number of how many throws he made, but he threw it and threw it pretty well today, so we’re excited. He didn’t really drop back.”
Though the quarterback is on track to play in Week 1, it's clear Carolina isn't going to play with fire pertaining Newton's situation. He's the catalyst to their potential success in 2019, and he doesn't has a checkered recent injury history.
Earlier in the offseason, Newton received shoulder surgery for a lingering issue that hampered his play in 2018. It was initially thought he'd miss time, but as he's done throughout his career, he proved doubters wrong.
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