Head coach Matt Rhule said on Monday that the Carolina Panthers will give quarterback Cam Newton most of the first-team reps in their practices this week. The move, presumably, sets him up to start under center against Ron Rivera’s Washington Football Team on Sunday.
“We’ll give Cam most of the reps this week,” Rhule told reporters. “P.J. [Walker] will get reps, obviously, as he always has. We’ll give Cam most of the reps and try to get him as brought up to speed as possible. I thought he did a great job last week, having 10 plays he was kinda ready for. 10 to 15. So, we’ll start getting him ready. And if he’s ready to start, great. And if he’s not quite ready yet to do everything, then obviously P.J.’s available.”
This comes less than 24 hours after Newton’s two-touchdown performance in his first game back with the organization. Just three days after he signed, Newton played nine offensive snaps, completed three passes and rushed three times.
His 12 points helped lift Carolina over the NFC-leading Arizona Cardinals in a stunning 34-10 upset that firmly reestablished their place in the playoff hunt. Now, Newton is very much in line to overtake Walker as the team’s starter.
The Panthers came into the year hoping the newly-acquired Sam Darnold would turn around his career in Carolina. Instead, Darnold followed up a strong start with four games of a passer rating lower than 60.0, including three outings with more interceptions than touchdowns.
Just when it seemed like it couldn’t get worse for the fourth-year quarterback, injuries struck. Darnold was evaluated for a concussion and shoulder injury in Week 8, then reevaluated for an aggravation of the shoulder issue in Week 9. The Panthers then placed Darnold on the injured reserve list, and they are now operating under the assumption that he will miss the remainder of 2021.
With Darnold out, it appeared as if Walker would take over the role as the team’s starting quarterback. Walker had a 1-0 record as an NFL starter, leading the Panthers over the Lions in a 20-0 shutout win in 2020. Then, he did it again.
Walker improved his record to 2-0 with an efficient performance to help pace yesterday’s victory. Still, the team didn’t sign Newton to back up Walker, and Rhule made that clear with his words today.
Newton doesn’t just provide an upgrade at quarterback. As fans saw firsthand Sunday, his presence and energy can upgrade the entire team’s performance. From Christian McCaffrey’s end-zone dance to Walker and Newton’s basketball jump shot celebration—the team’s intangibles when Newton was on the field were starkly different than the last couple of years without him.
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