Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has now undergone two shoulder surgeries since the end of 2016. The Panthers want to be a bit more cautious with him.
However, that does not mean Carolina is expecting him to change his game completely:
“Obviously, a part of his game is the physical nature, the running of the ball, making plays in the zone-read stuff, RPOs,” said Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. “We’re not going to take that away from him. He understands he has a lot of talented guys around him. He’s doing a good job in this first five days of spreading the ball to everyone.”
Newton was shut down for the final two games of the 2018 campaign due to a shoulder issue. On the season, he threw for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 67.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 94.2.
Nine of Newton's picks came from Week 10 onward, when it was clear that his shoulder was barking.
As a result of Newton's dropoff during the second half of the season, Carolina squandered a 6-2 start, limping to a 1-7 finish and posting a record of 7-9 as it missed the playoffs.
Newton, who played his collegiate football at Auburn University, was originally selected by the Panthers with the first overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Since then, he has made three Pro Bowl appearances while also earning a First-Team All-Pro selection for the 2015 campaign, the year he won MVP and led Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance.
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