It's no secret that Cam Newton has gotten off to a rough start.
Over his first couple of games, both of which ended in losses, the Carolina Panthers' quarterback has completed just 49 of his 88 passes for 563 yards and an interception.
His most recent shaky outing came on Thursday night, when he went 24-for-50 with 324 yards in a 20-14 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Newton is coming off of arthroscopic shoulder surgery, marking the second procedure on his throwing shoulder since the end of 2016. Not only that, but he also dealt with a minor foot injury during the preseason.
For that reason, Newton's slow start is not so surprising, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the Panthers seem to be having some difficulty finding the right balance with their signal-caller.
Head coach Ron Rivera said after the game Thursday that there is “no issue” with Newton's shoulder, pointing out that Newton threw the ball deep a couple of times. That included a 44-yard pass to Curtis Samuel.
But whether it's Newton's shoulder or foot, it seems obvious something is not right, as he has also totaled minus-2 yards rushing over his first two contests, which is not something we are accustomed to seeing from the 30-year-old.
There were some who had the Panthers pegged as a sleeper in the NFC heading into 2019 due to the talent they have at their skill positions, but if Newton is compromised in any way or is simply just declining, it could be a long year for Carolina.
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