The Panthers rested Cam Newton during the second half of their practice on Sunday because it was the end of a run of five practices in as many days and they wanted him to rest after having right shoulder surgery this offseason.
Carolina had a day off on Monday and Newton was on the field Tuesday, but he wasn’t back to a full workload. Newton took part in practice when he was able to go through drills without throwing the ball and coach Ron Rivera said that decision came after the quarterback reported shoulder soreness ahead of the workout.
“He started warming up this morning and said he still felt a little bit sore,” Rivera said, via the team’s website. “Why push it? Why have him throw with a sore arm and make it worse? It made no sense to have him throw with a sore shoulder.”
These are the sorts of bumps in the road that one would expect coming off of surgery and there’s been no sign of deeper worry about Newton this summer. That will likely change if he’s still taking limited part in practices later this month, but that’s something worth considering should it play out that way.