Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers were 6-2 halfway through last season before the quarterback went down with a shoulder injury. The team ended up having a terrible second half of the year and missed the playoffs. Since then, Newton has had surgery on his shoulder and is taking his recovery day by day. Newton's injury even had the Panthers thinking of acquiring a veteran quarterback as a backup to start the season with but according to head coach Don Rivera, that won't be in the cards because the team is already happy with Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen who played last season.
"Both of those guys showed that ability," Rivera told team's official website. "If we did do anything, it's probably going to be in the draft. We think developing a guy - as was asked earlier - is very important going forward. But we really do feel strong about the two guys that we have. I know (offensive coordinator) Norv (Turner) has been pretty satisfied with what we got from those guys."
Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Rivera also explained that part of the decision not to go after a QB just yet is because Newton's recovery is going smoothly and the team is optimistic he'll be back sooner than later.
"Cam's progress has been very good. He's been getting all of his workouts in, his rehab. Just knowing that, it gives you a little bit of confidence going forward," Rivera said.