Tag: Carolina Panthers

WATCH: Cam Newton is reportedly open to joining Chicago Bears next season

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

A little more than a week after the Panthers placed Cam Newton on injured reserve, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the quarterback plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Newton has one year left on his contract with the Panthers after back-to-back offseason shoulder injuries, and now two consecutive seasons shortened by injury. The Panthers will owe Newton $19.1 million in 2020, with a salary-cap hit of $21.1 million, but that $19.1 million is not guaranteed.

The 30-year-old got hurt during the preseason, then again in Week 2 when a foot injury ended his season. Initially, the injury was not seen as being as severe as it became. Deemed a Lisfranc injury, the left foot injury could be made better by surgery to repair the torn ligament in Newton’s foot.

Surgery and an 8-10 week recovery period would make Newton “very tradable,” (according to Rapoport) to a team like the Bears. The plan is something that Rapoport says “from my understanding, Cam Newton would in fact welcome.”

Bears head coach Matt Nagy is in need of improvement at the quarterback position. Mitchell Trubisky, who the franchise drafted second overall in 2017, has regressed this season.

Panthers Cam Newton is open to joining Chicago Bears next season (Bearswire)

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Panthers Cam Newton is open to joining Chicago Bears next season (Pantherswire)

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Panthers Cam Newton is open to joining Chicago Bears next season

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Cam Newton plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.

Falcons Week 11 injury report: 5 players miss Wednesday’s practice

Tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman both left Sunday’s game early and were missing from Atlanta’s Wednesday practice.

The Falcons ended their six-game losing streak in Week 10, but lost two offensive starters in the process.

Tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman both left Sunday’s game early and were missing from Atlanta’s Wednesday practice.

Quarterback Matt Ryan was held out as well, along with two others. Check out the team’s complete Wednesday injury report below.

Player Injury Wed. Thur. Fri.
QB Matt Ryan Ankle DNP
RB Devonta Freeman Foot DNP
TE Austin Hooper Knee DNP
G Wes Schweitzer Head DNP
S Kemal Ishmael Head DNP
TE Luke Stocker Knee LP
DE John Cominsky Ankle LP
S Sharrod Neasman Hamstring LP
CB Desmond Trufant Toe LP
P Ryan Allen Ankle LP
DB Damontae Kazee Shoulder FP

Check back after Thursday’s practice for more Falcons injury updates.

[lawrence-related id=41751]

[vertical-gallery id=41462]

Watch: Eric Reid on Colin Kaepernick’s workout: ‘It feels like a PR stunt’

Reid says this feels like a PR stunt rather than a legitimate opportunity.

Panthers safety Eric Reid is skeptical about the private workout that the NFL has invited all 32 teams to on Saturday for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Reid says this feels like a PR stunt rather than a legitimate opportunity. Watch.

[lawrence-related id=614051]

[vertical-gallery id=613865]

Panthers Week 11 injury report: Greg Little returns to practice

Here’s the team’s Week 11 injury report.

The Panthers finally got second-round pick Greg Little back on the practice field on Wednesday. He has spent most of the 2019 season in the concussion protocol. However, rookie OT Dennis Daley did not practice and two cornerbacks also sat out.

Here’s the team’s Week 11 injury report.

Player Injury Wed Thu Fri Status
CB James Bradberry Groin Limited Full Full –
CB Donte Jackson Hip DNP DNP Limited Questionable
CB Ross Cockrell Quad DNP DNP DNP Out
DT Kyle Love Shoulder DNP Full Full –
DT Gerald McCoy Knee DNP Full Full –
OT Dennis Daley Groin DNP DNP DNP Doubtful
RB Christian McCaffrey Foot DNP Full Full –
OT Greg Little Concussion Limited Full Full –
OLB Brian Burns Wrist Full Full Full –
LB Shaq Thompson Ankle – – DNP –
OLB Mario Addison Rest – – DNP –
OLB Bruce Irvin Rest – – DNP –

What jumps out here is the three cornerbacks listed at the top. Even if they all play, it’s likely they’re not going to be 100%. That could explain why the team brought back Corn Elder off the Giants’ practice squad yesterday.

Look for more updates later in the week.

Update:

Bradberry sounds like he’s going to play, but Cockrell and Jackson missing the first two days of practice is not a good sign. The Panthers are most likely going to be short-handed at cornerback going into a game against Julio Jones. Not ideal.

Update:

Cockrell has been ruled out and Jackson is questionable. Daley is doubtful, but Little will be returning to the lineup.

[lawrence-related id=613989]

[vertical-gallery id=613865]

Second-half Saints schedule sets up for a strong playoff push

The New Orleans Saints strength of schedule is mediocre. The Green Bay Packers have it easy but the San Francisco 49ers are in for a shock.

[jwplayer sXmBDaQ3]

The second half of the NFL regular season is upon us, and it couldn’t have started worse for the New Orleans Saints. They air-balled what should have been an easy win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, losing their grip on the second playoff seed in the NFC as the Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers and the top-ranked San Francisco 49ers suffered their first setback of the year to the Seattle Seahawks.

But Saints fans should feel optimistic about their fortunes moving forward, and their team’s chance to recover. New Orleans has just four games against opponents with winning records, including the 49ers (8-1), Panthers twice (5-4), and Indianapolis Colts (5-4), as well as the middling Tennessee Titans (5-5). There’s plenty of time for correction and improvement ahead of them.

According to NFL Research, the Saints’ second half schedule ranks near the middle of the pack, with their remaining opponents sharing a combined record of 33-31-0 (.516). Here’s how they rank among their peers:

Compare that to what other NFC playoff contenders are facing. The San Francisco 49ers are set to play the second-toughest schedule down the stretch, with their future opponents having gone 40-25-1 (.614); their odds of holding onto the top playoff seed in the conference are slim. However, the Green Bay Packers are in good position to maintain their one-game lead on the Saints in playoff seeding, with a relatively weak strength of schedule of 25-30-1 (.455) ahead of them. That’s the ninth-easiest second half schedule in the NFL.

As for the two-team race in the NFC South: the Carolina Panthers are still a few games behind the Saints, but their remaining strength of schedule at 32-32 (.500) is slightly easier to navigate than what New Orleans will see. If Carolina handles its business and the Saints continue to play down to their competition, it’s not impossible to see a path for the Panthers to steal a divisional title in the season’s final weeks. If New Orleans plays like they did last Sunday, they could be in for a rude awakening no matter how favorable their schedule looks on paper.

[vertical-gallery id=22291]

Will Week 11’s Saints-Buccaneers game be broadcast in your area?

Week 11 should be a rebound game for the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will the game broadcast be available for you?

[jwplayer sXmBDaQ3]

The New Orleans Saints are coming off of one of their worst performances in recent memory, having been steamrolled by the lowly Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. The Saints played poorly as an entire unit, looking more like how the almost-winless Falcons were expected to perform. A stagnant offense and self-inflicted defensive penalties kept the Saints far from reach of a victory against their NFC South archrival.

Week 11 should be a rebound game for New Orleans, as they travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their matchup earlier this season aside, Tampa Bay has always proven to be a tricky opponent for the Saints, especially when the Buccaneers get to play in Raymond James Stadium.

New Orleans raised a lot of questions last week about specific weaknesses within the offense, especially along the offensive line. A solid performance from quarterback Drew Brees and the rest of the offense would go a long way in assuaging any fears and questions that arose in their Week 10 outing. You will not want to miss the Saints take on the Buccaneers as they try to rebound back into the top spot in the NFC.

The broadcast map from 506 Sports highlights the coverage for each of the games during the early slate on FOX. The markets in orange will show the Saints-Buccaneers game, with Thom Brennaman and Chris Spielman on the call. The late afternoon slate, highlighted in blue, will feature the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. This also means that if you are in a blue zone , you will not receive any game during the early slot on FOX. Those areas in green will catch the week’s other NFC South matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. Finally, the majority of the country will receive the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions kickoff, as denoted in red.

[vertical-gallery id=22291]

Panthers bring back Greg Dortch for practice squad, Browns sign Bryan Cox Jr.

The Panthers didn’t miss Greg Dortch for long.

The Panthers didn’t miss Greg Dortch for long. Just days after waiving the wide receiver/return specialist, the team has brought him back for the practice squad, signing him off the Jets’. To make room, they released wide receiver Quadree Henderson.

Dortch had a strong debut for Carolina against the Titans two weeks ago. He posted 52 yards on two kickoff returns and 11 yards on two punts.

In Green Bay, the Panthers replaced Dortch by going with D.J. Moore as their punt returner and DeAndrew White on kickoffs. Both did pretty well, so until that dynamic changes we probably won’t see Dortch called up to the 53-man roster.

In related news, the Browns picked up defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., who was also recently released by the Panthers.

Cleveland is arguably the most disappointing team in the AFC this season. They come into this week at just 3-6 despite high expectations.

Cox flashed several times for the Panthers, so he might be able to carve out a respectable backup role for himself with the Browns’ tough defensive line.

[lawrence-related id=614024]

[vertical-gallery id=613865]