Cam Newton’s status remains up in the air as the Carolina Panthers prepare for their Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals, as the quarterback is dealing with a foot injury that he re-aggravated in Thursday night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Newton has been diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain and was still in a walking boot as of Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. Whether or not he is able to practice will likely determine his availability for Sunday.
#Panthers QB Cam Newton is still in a walking boot today as he battles a re-aggravation of his mid-foot sprain, source says. The team will know more about his status soon. If he can practice, he’s got a shot at Sunday. If he doesn’t practice, it’s unlikely he plays.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2019
A walking boot can oftentimes make an injury sound worse than it is, as it is simply precautionary in many instances. However, Newton already missed one practice this week after he informed the Panthers he has been in pain. They may want to give him some time off in the short term in an attempt to avoid the injury lingering all season.
Newton has struggled in the first two games of the season, completing just 56.2 percent of his throws with an average of 6.4 yards per completion. He has also thrown an interception and does not yet have a touchdown pass. The former MVP hinted that he is playing hurt when he said he felt “OK” after Thursday’s loss, though he added that he needs to play better “no matter what physical condition I’m in.”
The Panthers made some horrendous calls on 4th down in their game against Tampa, and there was speculation that Newton’s foot injury may have had something to do with it.
