Cam Newton could be in a very interesting situation when he returns from his foot injury. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Carolina Panthers quarterback could be put on the bench when he’s 100 percent healthy because of the way that backup quarterback Kyle Allen is playing. Since taking over in Week Three, the Panthers have won four straight games and they are only one game behind the New Orleans Saints for the NFC South lead.
“Here is how one Panthers source broke it down: If the team wins, the status quo reigns, as Allen likely keeps his job as Newton makes a slow and steady return to the field from his mid-foot sprain. If Carolina loses to Tampa Bay, it’s up in the air, but potentially it paves the way for Newton to return to his starting post when healthy,” Rapoport wrote.
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This was reported before the Panthers took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in London. In Allen’s four starts this season, he has completed 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 901 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Allen, who was signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent from Houston last year, has made five career starts and has won all five of them. As for Newton, he has lost his last eight starts.
But Newton has won the MVP award in 2015 and he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance that same season. There is no timetable when it comes to when Newton will be back, but he recently revealed how the injury happened on his YouTube channel.
“As I was diving forward, that plant step I kind of felt it, but I didn’t know the extent of the injury,” Newton said. “When I got up, I said ‘Something don’t feel right,’” Newton said when talking about playing a preseason game against the New England Patriots this past summer.
Newton continued to say he tried everything he could to be 100 percent healthy as the season started, but he knew that his injury was too much which led to him being sidelined.
“I trust my teammates. I trust my training staff. I trust my coaching staff,” Newton said. “If I’m able to get the time off for me to heal and get back to 100 percent, then I have no doubt in my mind everything that we want as a team can still be accomplished.”
The Panthers are off this week and will be back in action on Oct. 27 to take on the San Francisco 49ers.
