There are a lot of new faces on this Carolina Panthers team, but the one that matters the most is more than familiar. It is that of quarterback Cam Newton, who entered the first practice of training camp with more questions than answers after offseason shoulder surgery. But QB1 put concerns about his recovery to bed with two 35 and 40-yard bombs on day 1.
“Everything we saw pointed to him being ready to go,” Ron Rivera said after practice. “And I think it did a lot for not just us, I know it did a lot for him.”
“He looked really confident. He was making throws that we know he can make. Talking like he normally talks. So I’m excited for him. I’m excited to see 1 go at it this year,” cornerback Donte Jackson added.
Before practice, a jovial Newton looked into one of the many cameras on the sideline and said “the speculation stops today,” and to the delight of Carolina fans, it did.