Panthers' Cam Newton: Cedes majority of snaps to Darnold
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Newton started Sunday's 32-6 loss to the Buccaneers but completed just seven of 13 passes for 61 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and rushed five times for 42 yards.
Newton initially was subbed out for Sam Darnold (shoulder) after throwing an interception with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter, and while he did reenter the game after that point, he ultimately put up 19 fewer attempts than his position mate. David Newton of ESPN.com reports that head coach Matt Rhule was non-committal about who will start the Week 17 road matchup against the Saints, but it seems clear that with a 5-10 record and nothing but next season to play for, the embattled head coach won't hesitate to rotate both signal-callers fairly liberally throughout a game depending on circumstances.
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Panthers' Cam Newton: May lose starting job after Week 16
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Newton will start Sunday's game against the Buccaneers but is expected to cede snaps to Sam Darnold (shoulder), who could supplant Newton as the team's starter for the final two games of the regular season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Newton's return to Carolina hasn't been an overly successful one, as the Panthers have gone 0-4 in his starts while he's completed only 54.1 percent of his throws for 5.6 yards per attempt. He's looked better from a fantasy perspective thanks to the 169 rushing yards and four scores on the ground he's accrued during that stretch, but as a 32-year-old veteran on an expiring deal, Newton may be less of a priority for the 5-9 Panthers than Darnold, who resumed practicing Wednesday and will put an end to a six-week absence Sunday after he was reinstated from injured reserve. Rapoport's report notes that if Darnold fares well in his initial snaps Sunday, he could end up playing a substantial amount, which makes it difficult to trust Newton in weekly leagues. Head coach Matt Rhule will then likely weigh the Week 16 performances of both quarterbacks before determining which of the two will get the starting nod in the penultimate game of the regular season next week in New Orleans.
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Panthers' Cam Newton: Named starter for Sunday
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Coach Matt Rhule confirmed Friday that Newton will start Sunday's game against Washington, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Rhule also said fellow QB P.J. Walker will "probably" get playing time without elaborating on what exactly that means. Newton's rushing prowess, especially near the goal line, gives him some fantasy upside without much passing production, but it does become a harder sell if the Panthers are subbing Walker in on even a semi-regular basis. Of course, it's also possible Rhule is bluffing, or else leaving the door open to give Walker some snaps if Newton struggles early. Whatever the case, Newton is Carolina's starting quarterback again, at least for Week 11.
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Panthers' Cam Newton: Getting starting reps in practice
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Newton will handle most of the No. 1 practice reps heading into Week 11's matchup against Washington, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Newton scored twice in his first action of the season during Sunday's win over the Cardinals, but he only touched the ball seven times. If he can get up to speed with Carolina's new playbook in time to face Washington in Week 11, it appears that Newton could officially return to the starting lineup for the Panthers. If not, P.J. Walker will stand to draw another start, with Newton potentially mixing in for situational snaps again.
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Panthers' Cam Newton: Scores twice in 2021 debut
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Newton completed three of four passes for eight yards and a touchdown while rushing three times for 14 yards and another score in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Cardinals.
Newton announced his return to the Panthers by producing touchdowns on his first two plays. He first rushed in from two yards on Carolina's opening drive before finding Robby Anderson for a two-yard passing score to cap the second series. In doing so, he made an immediate impact through the same dual-threat ability that made him a Panthers legend over his previous nine years with the franchise. Going forward, it remains to be seen whether Newton or P.J. Walker -- who completed 22 of 29 passes for 167 yards but threw an interception and lost a fumble Sunday -- will start at quarterback in Sam Darnold's (shoulder) absence, but Newton certainly made a strong impression in his brief season debut.
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Panthers' Cam Newton: Available Sunday
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Newton is active for Sunday's game at Arizona, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Newton played the waiting game since the Patriots cut him back in August, eventually landing in a familiar environment. The Panthers were in need of quarterback depth after Sam Darnold went down with a broken right scapula last Sunday, which may not allow him to return this season. Newton won't start right away due to his lack of practice reps -- Carolina held a walkthrough Friday and full session Saturday -- so he'll be behind P.J. Walker in the pecking order Week 10. But the fact Newton is available may imply he has a package of plays if the situation calls for them Sunday.
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Cam Newton: Books meeting with Panthers
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Newton is scheduled to meet Thursday with Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and team owner David Tapper regarding a potential reunion with the franchise, three sources familiar with the situation tell Jonathan M. Alexander of The Charlotte Observer.
On the open market since being cut by New England at the conclusion of the preseason, Newton looks like he could get his next opportunity in Carolina, with whom he began his career as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Though the three-time Pro Bowler and 2015 NFL MVP is well past his prime years with the Panthers, the organization may at least view him as a good short-term solution at quarterback with Sam Darnold (shoulder) likely to miss multiple weeks. P.J. Walker is currently in line to start Week 10 against the Cardinals, but the former XFL standout could need a strong showing to hold off Newton, should he reunite with the Panthers.
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Cam Newton: Still wants to play
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Newton said Monday that he intends to return to the NFL and recently was vaccinated against COVID-19, Chris Bumbaca of USA Today reports.
Newton has remained a free agent since being released by the Patriots in late August, prior to the start of the regular season. The 32-year-old appeared in 15 games with New England last season and showed that he can still operate as a dangerous weapon in the red zone, with 12 rushing scores on the season, though his passing efficiency (8:11 TD:INT) left much to be desired. If Newton is indeed seriously motivated to seek another gig on an NFL roster, his best chances realistically could come as a backup.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Jumps back in with starters
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Newton took the first snap in 11-on-11s at Thursday's joint practice with the Giants, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports.
Newton also took the first snap in a warmup period and again in 7-on-7s, while rookie Mac Jones was second through the rotation each time. The day before, Jones reportedly put on a show while leading the first-team offense, taking advantage of his opportunity with Newton sidelined for a third straight day due to a misunderstanding of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. In any case, Newton returned to practice Thursday and assumed his usual spot, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the Week 1 starter. Given the stylistic differences between his two quarterbacks, coach Bill Belichick may see an advantage in waiting until the last second to name his guy for the Sept. 12 opener against Miami. Even if he doesn't quite take it all the way down to the wire, Belichick isn't likely to name his starter before the end of the preseason. The Patriots have their final exhibition Sunday evening against the Giants.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Expected to practice Thursday
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Newton, who was required to remain away from Patriots facilities through Wednesday due to a misunderstanding of the NFL's procedures for COVID-19, is expected to return to practice Thursday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.
Prior to his absence, head coach Bill Belichick had maintained that Newton was viewed as the Patriots' starting signal-caller, but the strong efforts of 2021 first-round selection Mac Jones over the last few days -- including an especially impressive practice Wednesday -- suggests that the team's quarterback competition is ongoing. It therefore seems imperative that Newton looks sharp upon his anticipated return to the field in order to hold off the challenge for the top job that Jones appears to be mounting.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Won't practice until Thursday
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Newton (undisclosed) will need to remain away from Patriots facilities until Thursday due to a misunderstanding of the NFL's procedures for COVID-19, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.
The NFL's statement reads: "Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, [Newton] will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility..." Per Giardi, Newton will be eligible to rejoin teammates Thursday, until which time he can only participate in practices virtually. As a result, Newton will miss Wednesday's joint practice with the Giants, but his status for Sunday's exhibition matchup shouldn't be in peril. His absence will afford Mac Jones increased opportunities to handle first-team reps.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Week 1 starter not yet named
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Newton relayed Monday that coach Bill Belichick hasn't told him if he'll start the Patriots' regular-season opener against the Dolphins, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.
Of course, the reports also notes that Belichick has indicated multiple times that Newton is considered the team's starting quarterback for the time being, with the caveat being that whenever first-rounder Mac Jones "is ready to challenge and compete, then we'll see how that goes." Per Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Newton "had his best practice in a week" Tuesday, completing 13 of 15 passes (including one drop) in team drills. Jones was also sharp Tuesday, going 13-for-14 in the drills, while mixing in with the starters at certain points of the practice. As things stand, Jones still has a chance to make up ground in advance of Week 1, but he'd need to make a strong push in the next couple of weeks in order to overtake Newton before New England's opener.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Working ahead of Jones
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Through the first two practices of New England's training camp, Newton has "led off every team period," Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
As could be expected, 2021 first-rounder Mac Jones followed Newton during drills. At this stage, it's too early to get a clear read on the Patriots' ongoing signal-caller competition, with Howe noting at this early juncture of training camp that "strictly by performance, the QB battle has been a draw." For the time being at least, the fact that Newton is taking team reps ahead of Jones is indicative of his current depth chart standing above the rookie.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Logs first-team snaps
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Newton was the first quarterback to take snaps throughout the Patriots' spring drills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though 2021 first-rounder Mac Jones -- who was next up for snaps in the team's QB drills -- eventually could make a run at the starting role in the coming months, Newton remains atop the depth chart as things stand. Compared to last season, when the veteran signal-caller didn't catch on with New England until the end of June, Newton is "way ahead of where he was last year at this time," coach Bill Belichick noted. With that in mind, it's going to take a strong training camp/preseason effort from Jones for the rookie to have a chance to supplant Newton, at least in the short term.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Seems poised to start Week 17
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Coach Bill Belichick relayed to WEEI on Tuesday that he believes Newton will start Sunday's season finale against the Jets. "Yeah, I would imagine," Belichick said. "We're going through that now. We'll see."
The statement wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement of Newton, who completed five of 10 passes for 34 yards and rushed four times for 24 yards and a touchdown during Monday's blowout loss to the Bills. Jarrett Stidham eventually replaced Newton in the third quarter but didn't fare well himself, with 44 yards on 4-for-11 passing. The Patriots are out of the playoff picture and have no investment in Newton beyond this season, while Stidham is a 2019 fourth-round pick of the club. Still, when Newton has been healthy, the team hasn't wavered from starting him, and Belichick seems resigned to doing the same Week 17.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Still the starter
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Coach Bill Belichick confirmed Friday that Newton (abdomen) will remain the Patriots' starting QB, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.
Prior to being pulled early in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 24-3 loss to the Rams, Newton completed nine of his 16 pass attempts for 119 yards and a pick to go along with seven carries for 16 yards. Despite his struggles Week 14, the Patriots have no plans to turn to second-year backup Jarrett Stidham when they face Miami on Dec. 20. As that game approaches, we'd expect Newton, who's been managing an abdominal issue, to appear on New England's injury report, but neither his Week 15 status nor his perch atop the team's QB depth chart appear in any danger at this time.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Suits up for TNF
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Newton (abdomen) is listed as active for Thursday night's game against the Rams.
Newton, who completed 12 of 19 pass attempts for 69 yards and a TD this past Sunday against the Chargers, did most of his damage in the Patriots' 45-0 win via his impact as a runner, logging 14 carries for 48 rushing yards and two scores. While he should be more productive as a passer Thursday even against a tough Rams defense, Newton's path to fantasy relevance these days continues to be primarily fueled by his utility in New England's ground game.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Logs another limited session
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Newton (abdomen) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice.
This injury capped Newton's practice reps last week as well. Nevertheless, he didn't show any limitations in Sunday's 45-0 win over the Chargers, completing 12 of 19 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and rushing 14 times for 48 yards and two more scores. It's worth monitoring his Wednesday practice status, but he appears to be on the right track to play Thursday against the Rams.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Accounts for three TDs in blowout
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Newton completed 12 of 19 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown while adding 48 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries during Sunday's 45-0 win over the Chargers.
Newton fell shy of 20 attempts for the third time in the last four games and was held under 100 yards passing for the second consecutive outing. He still managed a fantasy-friendly performance with a pair of close-range rushing touchdowns and added a five-yard passing score to N'Keal Harry to round out his line. While Newton's statistical production has been quite volatile of late, he's led his team to wins in four of his last five games and an average of 29 points per game during that stretch. His unconventional style could keep him in the picture from a fantasy perspective despite a tough matchup with the Rams on Thursday.
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Patriots' Cam Newton: Active for Sunday's game
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Newton (abdomen) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Through 10 games this season, Newton is averaging 198.4 passing yards to go along with just four TD passes versus nine picks. Where the 31-year-old signal-caller continues to help fantasy managers, however, is with the numbers that he puts up in New England's ground game. To date, he's logged 92 carries for 387 yards and nine rushing scores.
