Joe Brady on Cam Newton Usage for Panthers in Week 10: 'Everything's on the Table'

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said "everything's on the table" when it comes to quarterback Cam Newton's involvement in Sunday's Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

"Excited to be able to work with him," Brady told reporters about Newton, who rejoined the Panthers on Thursday after spending the first nine years of his NFL career with the franchise. He'd been a free agent since getting released by the New England Patriots in August.

A lot has changed in Carolina since Newton's departure following the 2019 season. The team hired Matt Rhule as its head coach ahead of the 2020 campaign and he brought in Brady, who rose to prominence while guiding LSU's passing game in 2019, to lead the offensive coaching staff.

So it's not like the 32-year-old signal-caller is walking back into the same offense he led during his first stint with the team. In turn, it's more likely the Panthers will try to create some select packages for him initially rather than thrusting him into a full-time starting role in the short term.

Carolina sought quarterback depth after placing starter Sam Darnold on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He's expected to miss at least a month of action.

P.J. Walker, who's made one career NFL start, is set to take over the offense with journeyman Matt Barkley also on the active roster heading into the clash with the Cardinals.

"I'm going to just revert back to when I played in the XFL, to be honest," Walker told reporters. "I had a lot of fun, enjoyed the moment. I'm extremely excited, but when I go out there, I want to stay extremely excited, because the guys around me need that energy, need that juice, and I want to bring it on Sunday."

The 26-year-old Temple product was the early MVP favorite in the XFL before the league's second iteration was shutdown midway through the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now he's set to get his first extended look in the NFL while Darnold recovers and Newton gets up to full speed within the offensive scheme.

If Newton does see the field against Arizona, it'll likely be in short-yardage/goal-line situations.

The 2015 NFL MVP struggled as a passer with the Patriots last season, tallying eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games, but he excelled as a situational runner with 12 rushing scores.

Ultimately, Walker will probably be given a few starts to see whether he can provide a spark to the Panthers' 27th-ranked offense. If that doesn't happen, the coaching staff could swap to Newton to give him a couple games as the starter before Darnold returns from injury.