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Shoulder setback? Cam Newton will not throw at minicamp

Eric Edholm

Has there been a setback in the rehab schedule of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton? He was expected to be available for his first throwing since his March shoulder surgery, but it turns out that head coach Ron Rivera got a little ahead of himself.

The Panthers’ mandatory minicamp begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday, but it will be the Derek Anderson show while Newton will remain sidelined.

Head coach Ron Rivera had said Newton was ahead of schedule last week, saying he would throw on the sideline this week. But then the team announced Monday that Newton won’t even do that and that Rivera “got ahead of himself by one week,” via the Charlotte Observer.

Cam Newton will not throw at the Carolina Panthers’ mandatory minicamp, the team announced. (AP)
Cam Newton will not throw at the Carolina Panthers’ mandatory minicamp, the team announced. (AP)

Nothing ever seems clean and easy for the immensely talented Newton, but this appears to be little more than a miscommunication. Still, there has to be some concern given that, as Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson wrote recently, Newton really hasn’t done anything constructive with the team’s offseason passing program as he works his way back from surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on March 30.

Newton likely wasn’t going to do a lot at the OTAs, even if he was cleared, so that perspective is key. He was not expected to be allowed to get any real live action, but precision and chemistry are built now and built upon at training camp. That puts the Panthers and Newton behind.

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The Panthers will welcome in rookie running back Christian McCaffrey and could see concussion-addled tackle Michael Oher, who hasn’t participated in voluntary workouts and remains in the protocol for now. They also have other players coming back from injuries.

Newton most recently was spotted pitching to some kickball kickers at his annual charity, via ESPN, and the QB said that the underhanded throwing motion was “natural treatment” for his shoulder even though he expected the Panthers trainer to “give [him] a big earful” when he next saw Newton.

For now, we have no idea if there was a setback to the rehab or if kickball caused Newton issues. It doesn’t appear to be the case. We’ll find out if Newton not throwing now is a bigger deal a month or so from now, but at this moment the concern certainly isn’t yet lowering.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!