Healthier than he was a year ago at this time?
I know you want to say Cam is 100% healthy because you saw some posts on Instagram, so don't take it from me that there are
concerns about his shoulder. Here's a former Panthers beat writer:
"Multiple sources I've spoken to have said if they're concerned about any Newton injury, it's his shoulder far more than his foot. Newton had surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury back in December, and that came after months of trying to avoid going under the knife again. His two shoulder surgeries came in March 2017 and January 2019, and I've been closing monitoring his throwing since.
Carolina's 6-2 start in 2018 and Newton's revival under Norv Turner masked his struggles to throw deep. He had trouble with his deep ball throughout training camp, and he attempted just
2.9 passes of 20-plus yards per game through the team's first eight games. Folks pointed to a T.J. Watt hit in Week 9 as a turning point in his season -- and I'm sure the hit didn't make his arm feel better -- but after that he was still attempting 2.8 passes of 20-plus yards per game.
And in just two games in 2019, Newton couldn't throw to the right side of the field. Could it have been the broken foot? Perhaps. But he completed
just 40 percent of his passes to the right in those two losses, which is so below average it's statistically significant in my view.
So at 31 and a year away from contact, Newton should feel extremely refreshed. The ball is spinning off his hand right now, and it probably will throughout camp. Frankly, it should be. But the test will be how his arm is faring come November as the hits pile up and the weather gets colder. I'm not saying his arm will fall off, but the close inspection of his spirals isn't really necessary right now."
