The Panthers don’t know at the moment whether Cam Newton will be able to play Sunday at Arizona or not.
But they know what Plan B is.
Coach Ron Rivera said that Kyle Allen would start if Newton’s not able to recover in time, leaving rookie Will Grier as the backup.
“I have no idea,” Rivera replied when asked if he thought Newton could go this week.
Newton didn’t practice Tuesday, staying indoors to rehab his foot.
Newton aggravated his preseason foot injury in Thursday’s loss to the Buccaneers, something Rivera initially denied (after they ran a Christian McCaffrey Philly Special-type play rather than let Newton sneak it with the game on the line).
Rivera said he only found out about the problem after the game (presumably after he met with reporters), and said he didn’t have a timeline for Newton’s recovery.
He also shot down the idea of adding a veteran quarterback, saying: “I don’t think so. The guys we have here, we brought them here for a reason.”
Newton clearly wasn’t himself in either game this year, though he played much better in the opener against the Rams. Against the Bucs, he was no risk of running, and his throws weren’t on target, and the Panthers offense flat-lined as a result.