Friday night’s last preseason game for the Carolina Panthers was a bittersweet moment.
While they left with a 21-0 victory against the Buffalo Bills, it came at a high price.
Backup QB Sam Darnold suffered an injury that saw him being carted off the field.
However, Darnold isn’t the only Panthers QB that’s caught the injury bug.
Rookie QB Matt Corral, a promising talent for the team, suffered a season ending Lisfranc injury last week.
Rough start to a #NFL career for the #Panthers rookie QB Matt Corral
A serious Lisfranc injury takes about 11 months for a player to return to play
His season is likely over before it starts #KeepPounding #FantasyFootball
More on the injury below 👇🏽 https://t.co/37vrv5lvmx pic.twitter.com/485dbtGkAT
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, PT, CSCS, TSAC-F (@SGPNFootballDoc) August 20, 2022
These injuries leave the Panthers short handed in the quarterback department.
But do these injuries present a chance for a return of Cam Newton in Carolina?
Panthers Need A Solid Backup With Injuries Piling Up
The Panthers are down to starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and backup P. J. Walker.
Walker has been with Carolina since the 2020, after an impressing performance in the XFL.
However, the nine games he’s been in since signing with the Panthers have all ended with mixed results.
While he started in two of the nine games, his numbers overall in 2020 and 2021 are horrible.
XFL legend P.J. Walker 🐐 pic.twitter.com/O1emOt7U50
— Griff (@Mullet_Lebron) April 27, 2022
In those nine games, he threw two touchdowns against eight interceptions.
You can’t win games with the performances Walker had with Carolina.
However, those numbers can breathe life into a Cam Newton return to the Panthers.
But is this choice right for him and Carolina?
There’s No Harm In Signing Newton Again
While Newton’s time as a starting QB is over, he can provide Carolina with a good choice as a backup.
The team needs someone behind Walker, who’s proven he doesn’t perform well as a fill-in QB.
This means they need a quarterback who can jump in if Mayfield goes down, much like Darnold and Corral already have.
Newton can fill that role if needed.
Also, signing him does no harm, as the team has Mayfield as the starting QB for the 2022 season.
However, it’s up to Newton on whether he will take a backup role in Carolina, or decline the offer for a team that needs a starting QB.
Newton Feels He’s Still Able To Be A Starting QB
You can’t tell Cam that he isn’t starting material in the NFL.
The guy has faith in himself, as he believes he can still lead any NFL team.
However, his time in Carolina in 2021 saw him fail as a starting QB.
While many fingers can be pointed as to the reasons behind his failure, he was the guy Carolina looked towards to lead their team.
But he wasn’t able to do that.
Many can say it’s because of him not having an offensive line or deep threats last season.
They could also point towards the running back situation, which saw star RB Christian McCaffrey miss most of 2021.
However, if Cam feels he can lead a team, he’ll have to do it regardless of who’s around him.
With him failing to do that, he can only make a return as a backup in the NFL.
His NFL return will probably be in Carolina, thanks to their current quarterback injuries.
