Robbie Anderson: Cam Newton could be in a training camp 'if he wanted to'

Quarterback Cam Newton made a return to the Carolina Panthers last fall when 2021 Week 1 starter Sam Darnold was sidelined due to a shoulder injury. 

For the most part, the homecoming went poorly for all involved. Newton lost all five of his starts and completed just 54.8% of his passes for 684 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions before he was benched in favor of Darnold, and the 33-year-old has remained a free agent since the start of the new league year in March. 

Back in early June, Newton was linked with a potential second return to the Panthers and also with a Seattle Seahawks team that began Wednesday with veteran Geno Smith atop the depth chart over 2019 second-round draft pick Drew Lock. Such rumors popped up before the Panthers traded with the Cleveland Browns for signal-caller Baker Mayfield. 

Current Carolina wide receiver Robbie Anderson spent time as Newton's teammate last season and suggested on Wednesday that the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player can still contribute at the highest level this summer. 

"I think if he wanted to (be in a camp) he could," Anderson said of Newton, per Ellis Williams of the Charlotte Observer. "He probably just wants to make sure he chooses the right situation for himself." 

Anderson added that Newton is more a "family" member than "a friend" 

As Myles Simmons noted for Pro Football Talk, there "haven’t been many rumors of any teams being interested" in Newton as of late. That could change, however, if multiple clubs lose quarterbacks to injury setbacks later this month.