Panthers HC Matt Rhule praises Cam Newton after reunion

Roughly 24 hours after Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule confirmed that starting quarterback Sam Darnold could miss four to six weeks of action with an incomplete fracture of the shoulder scapula in his throwing arm, Carolina agreed to terms with Panthers legend, 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player and free-agent signal-caller Cam Newton. 

Newton has a lengthy and much-publicized injury history, and the 32-year-old was slowed last season while with the New England Patriots because of a bout with COVID-19. He is now reportedly vaccinated against the coronavirus following his release on Aug. 31, and Rhule had high praise for the veteran during Thursday's press conference. 

"I know that he’s a competitor, besides his talent," Rhule said of Newton, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "I know he’s a competitor. I know that he’s tough. He’s everything I believe in and talk about. But at the time (of Newton’s release last March), we weren’t sure if he was healthy. Well, he’s healthy now, and you see that he’s healthy now. As he said to me, probably just not playing this season, that he’s as healthy as he possibly could be.

"(The phone conversation) was good. At the end of the day, I think anytime you look back on things, you always say, 'I wish I had done this differently,' but everyone has that. There was nothing but good feelings in that conversation. Obviously, he loves Charlotte. He loves the Carolina Panthers. He made that very clear to me. So this is a fitting story." 

Former XFL star P.J. Walker is set to be Carolina's QB1 this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, with journeyman Matt Barkley behind him on the depth chart. Newton could dress as soon as this weekend, but it seems more likely Rhule and company will get him ready for the Nov. 21 matchup against the Washington Football Team. 

"Obviously, we brought Cam because of who he is at quarterback, and we brought him here to play," Rhule added. "But we’re not looking into the future. We’ve just got to get him here and start teaching him what we do. At the end of day, I talked to Cam. He told me he’s healthy and feels great. This is as healthy as he’s been. A healthy Cam Newton is a special player. So we’ll just take it day by day."

Whether or not Newton is actually healthy has yet to be seen, but he's clearly back in Carolina to do more than merely watch the Panthers in-person from the sidelines.