Cam Newton truly has come full circle.
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Friday Newton will start at quarterback Sunday in their Week 11 matchup with the Washington Football Team. While Rhule’s announcement confirms Newton’s return to the ranks of NFL starting QBs, he won’t necessarily lead Carolina’s offense throughout the game.
Newton “will take the first snap,” Rhule said in a press conference, per the Panthers’ website.
Carolina will rely on a combination of Newton and P.J. Walker under center.
“We have plays for Cam, plays for P.J.,” Rhule said. “P.J. we think is an excellent quarterback, Cam can make a difference, so we’ll use both of them.”
Rhule’s announcement isn’t necessarily surprising, as he suggested Wednesday Newton might start against Washington. However, Walker still is more familiar with the Panthers’ offense than Newton.
After re-joining the Panthers last week as a free agent, Newton ran for one touchdown and passed for another in Carolina’s upset win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10.
His storybook return to the Panthers, whose offense he led between 2011 and 2020, is a far cry from the depths his NFL career had plummeted just a few months ago when the New England Patriots released him after one season as their starter.
