Cam Newton to make preseason debut Thursday

The Carolina Panthers will get their first glimpse of quarterback Cam Newton in a game situation since his shoulder surgery.

Newton will appear in the team’s third preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday, according to head coach Ron Rivera.

Rivera says the third preseason game is very important to get a feel for where they’re at. Likes that it’s against New England of all teams.

Cam Newton will play, Rivera won’t say how much.

— Max Henson (@PanthersMax) August 19, 2019

This is more notable than a lot of preseason debuts for veteran players. Newton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ailing throwing shoulder during the offseason. That shoulder rendered his deep balls fairly useless toward the tail end of last year. Reviews from practice have been good, but there’s no way to mimic a game situation until you get there, so Newton’s progress will be intriguing to see.