Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rushed a career-low 90 times for 359 yards last season, and while his athleticism is what makes him so uniquely dangerous, he could continue to trend more in the direction of a pocket passer in 2017.
Head coach Ron Rivera confirmed on Monday that the Panthers want Newton to run less and throw quicker this coming season.
Rivera confirms Panthers want to get ball out of Cam's hands earlier in passing game and run him less. Both of those a clear focus. https://t.co/tig4rGPjXA
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) July 10, 2017
Newton, who underwent surgery on his right rotator cuff earlier this offseason and only recently began throwing, endured a down year in 2016. In addition to a career-low in rushes and rushing yards, he completed a career-low 52.9 percent of his passes for 3,509 yards and only 19 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.
But this “evolution” of Newton is nothing new. Rivera has been saying he wants the 28-year-old to run less and throw quicker for several years now, and even Newton himself has alluded to the need for change.
“The thing I have to realize is my job is not necessarily to always be the playmaker,” Newton told CBS Sports in June. “I have to give other people opportunities to make plays. That’s the hardest thing about maturation, especially for me. So having more comfort in trusting the guys around me is the biggest thing. Trust and knowing my job is giving everybody a chance and letting them do their job as well.”
Whether or not the Panthers and Newton actually put this into motion remains to be seen, but if nothing else, everyone at least appears to be on the same page.
