Cam Newton Placed on IR by Panthers with Foot Injury, Out for Season
The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday they placed Cam Newton on injured reserve.
The move comes after Newton missed six games while dealing with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot.
Panthers general manager Marty Hurney addressed the situation:
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"For the past seven weeks, Cam has diligently followed a program of rest and rehab and still is experiencing pain in his foot. He saw two foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue that path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal."
By putting Newton on IR now, the Panthers are ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Sept. 24: "Plan for now is to keep rehabbing in hopes of returning and avoiding surgery, but it could be a while until he's back on the field."
On Sept. 23, head coach Ron Rivera told reporters there was no timetable for Newton's return.
Newton then uploaded a vlog confirming his Lisfranc injury suffered in the preseason, which he hid the extent of:
The 30-year-old dual-threat started the Panthers' first two regular-season games before backup Kyle Allen took over in Week 3. Through two games, Newton posted 572 yards, no touchdowns and an interception on 56.2 percent completion. The Panthers lost both games.
While the 2011 top overall pick appeared in 14 games for Carolina last season, he played through a shoulder injury that required surgery in the offseason. Newton also had a procedure done on a partially torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder in March 2017.
Since the Panthers drafted him out of Auburn, Newton has earned a league MVP honor (2015) and led the team to Super Bowl 50, where they lost to Denver.
With their usual leader hampered, Allen has led the Panthers to a 5-1 record as the starter and thrown for 1,291 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
Now, it's clear Carolina is counting on Allen to guide the offense the rest of the way.
