Cam Newton's Panthers Teammates React to His Injured Reserve Placement
Tuesday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers placed quarterback Cam Newton on Injured Reserve and [...]
Jarius Wright
"I've talked about how much we love Cam, how we're friends on and off the field," Jarius Wright said, per the Panthers website. "It's bittersweet. You get the bitter of not having a guy you love to be around, not having one of your friends out there with you, but the sweet part is a guy like Kyle Allen gets the chance to be the guy he is."
A former member of the Minnesota Vikings, Wright joined the Panthers in 2018. He wasn't the team's leading receiver, but he still served as a reliable third-down option for Newton. He finished his first season with the team with 43 receptions for 447 yards and one touchdown.
prevnextKyle Allen
Kyle Allen: “It’s tough to see Cam go on IR with how hard he’s worked. He looked great in training camp. I feel for him. Behind the scenes he’s working his ass off every day. I know he’ll handle it well.”
— Max Henson (@PanthersMax) November 6, 2019
All along, the Panthers coaching staff has been telling Kyle Allen that this is his team. It didn't matter that Newton could possibly be returning at any point; they wanted the backup-turned-starter to have confidence that he was a trusted figure.
"To see him play through the shoulder injury all year and see how hard he worked to get ready each week to play, then the rehab this offseason to get ready to come back this year," Allen said on Wednesday. "Then to have something else happen to his foot – not even the same injury. I feel for him. It's tough for a competitor like him who has been on top his whole career."
prevnextBruce Irvin
Edge rusher Bruce Irvin is a newer addition to the team after joining the Panthers in March, but he is a veteran that has seen Newton from afar throughout his eight-year career. What he learned is that the former first overall pick is an extremely talented player. Still, that doesn't change the immediate future.
"Nothing changes. Now we know officially Cam isn't coming back," Irvin said. "We trust in '7.' It's an unfortunate situation for Cam. He's a hell of a player. But life goes on. He knows that, we know that. '7' is the guy now and we've got complete faith in him. I'm behind him."
prevnextTre Boston
Similar to Bruce Irvin, safety Tre Boston only joined the Panthers during the offseason. However, he very familiar with Newton considering that he started his career in Carolina. Boston was a member of Carolina's defense in 2014-2016 and helped the team reach Super Bowl 50 in 2015.
"It's kind of like we're going on with our day, because we knew Kyle was starting this week and each week it's just been like we're ready to roll with Kyle," Boston said. "Only you guys are ready for the, 'Cam's back!' We love Kyle, we love what he's done for us, we love that he's going to be able to finish the season."
prevnextTrai Turner
While wide receiver Jarius Wright could deal with some chemistry changes considering that Kyle Allen and Cam Newton are different quarterbacks, there are other members of the roster that won't be affected. For right guard Trai Turner, his job doesn't change. He still has to block for his quarterback, whether it's Newton or Allen.
"I can only speak for me, but I don't really think there's too much of a difference," Turner said. "Whoever's playing that week is going to play their hardest. I'm not going to block any harder for whoever's in there. I just hope the Cam gets well soon and Kyle keeps progressing."
prevnextRon Rivera
Ron Rivera on Cam Newton... pic.twitter.com/TqSohvPeJy
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) November 6, 2019
When head coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Wednesday, he started his presser by explaining that Cam Newton is a hard worker that has tirelessly attacked his recovery. Unfortunately for the Panthers, he didn't make as much progress as initially expected. That's what sparked the trip to Green Bay to meet with a foot specialist.
"We feel right now, probably the best thing was to put him on IR and move forward," Rivera said on Wednesday. "That's where we are with it, guys. I really appreciate everything Cam does and appreciate that he's still here, he wants to be around."
prevnextCam Newton
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Being placed on Injured Reserve was not an ideal situation for Cam Newton and the Panthers, but the former first overall pick (2011) is not letting the circumstances get him down. Instead, he is choosing to focus on his rehab and getting better for the future.
"Charlotte & Panthers will forever be in my heart!!" Newton wrote on Instagram in response to the team. "I will work my tail off to be stronger, faster, SMARTER, and ACCURATER for you guys!! Until then I will continue to support the hell out of the @panthers and for @kyle_allen & @willgrier7!!"
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