Report: Cam Newton may not get starting job back when healthy

The Carolina Panthers have not lost a game since Kyle Allen took over for the injured Cam Newton, and there is a chance Newton could remain on the bench even when he’s fully healthy if that theme continues.

Newton has not yet resumed practicing, and the Panthers will not even consider having him play in an actual game again until his foot injury is 100 percent healed. In addition, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Panthers have acknowledged Newton will not necessarily get his starting job back if Allen keeps leading the team to wins.

One team source told Rapoport that “the status quo reigns” as long as the results stay the way they are. Something like a bad performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London on Sunday could set the stage for Newton to return under center, but it is not a sure thing that the former MVP will even be healthy enough to practice after Carolina’s Week 7 bye.

Allen has five touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 107.4 in three games. Newton has not played up to his potential in quite some time, but he dealt with a shoulder injury late last season and then a lingering foot issue this year. We recently saw what looked like a positive development with his health, but it sounds like anything but a lock that we will see him back on the field in Week 8.