Cam Newton: ‘I think I’m on schedule to make a speedy recovery’

Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton shed his walking boot last month and has been progressing along nicely from offseason ankle surgery that will fix up what was previously a nagging ailment for the fourth-year pro. Newton’s new-look wide receiver corps has been criticized heavily, but I wouldn’t put it past Ricky Proehl and Newton to turn this unproven group into an upgraded corps. Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant are decent chain-moving veterans, with Cotchery coming off of a TD-filled season. Marvin McNutt and Tavarres King are the wildcards, and a large part of the Panthers passing success will be predicated on raw first-rounder Kelvin Benjamin’s ability to pick things up quickly under Newton and WRs coach Proehl.

Although Newton obviously isn’t on the practice field yet he has been throwing for a few weeks now and continues to make solid progress. According to the Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Jones, the Panthers will likely continue to give Newton light reps for the remainder of training camp and allow him to continue dropping back and passing. He’ll have some more time to rest up before training camp, and he should be good-to-go then.

It’s clear that everything is running smoothly for Newton, and Ron Rivera and the Panthers will undoubtedly be as cautious as possible with their franchise passer. Newton certainly sounds optimistic, as he stated that he is set to recover quickly, “I think I’m on schedule to make a speedy recovery. We are in the last curve and I am just trying to be smart about it, do everything that the trainers ask of me and more and see where that gets me.”

It’s great news all around.