The ongoing saga regarding Cam Newton’s foot injury is over, with the Carolina Panthers quarterback going on injured reserve in a move that will almost certainly end his season.
“For the past seven weeks, Cam has diligently followed a program of rest and rehab and still is experiencing pain in his foot,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement. “He saw two foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue that path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal.”
Newton, 30, played in just two games this season, both defeats, and has not seen action since a 12 September game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers are 5-1 since then with Kyle Allen at quarterback.
The official diagnosis was a Lisfranc injury to the left foot, and surgery had not been recommended for Newton as of this past weekend, according to multiple reports.
Newton, the first overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Auburn, threw for 572 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in his two games this season. He has passed for 29,041 yards in his nine-year career with 182 touchdowns and 108 interceptions.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection was named an NFL First-Team All-Pro in 2015, his Most Valuable Player season.
Elsewhere, Nick Foles will return as the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback following their bye week, coach Doug Marrone said Tuesday.
Foles has been out since suffering a broken left collarbone in the season opener, undergoing surgery to install a plate and screws. He will return on 17 November when the Jaguars play at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. “Nick will be our starting quarterback going forward,” Marrone said at a press conference.
Foles’ replacement, rookie Gardner Minshew II, played well enough that Foles’ return to the starting lineup wasn’t a given. Marrone informed the quarterbacks and then the rest of the team Tuesday morning. “It was obviously my decision,” Marrone said. “Worked hard on it.”
Minshew, a sixth-round pick out of Washington State, has guided the Jaguars to a 4-5 record, completing 61.2% of his passes for 2,285 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He didn’t leave a positive impression on Sunday, though, committing four turnovers – including two interceptions – in a 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans in London.
In his brief appearance in Week 1, Foles, the MVP of Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles, was 5-of-8 passing for 75 yards with a touchdown.
