The Carolina Panthers have announced that quarterback Cam Newton has been placed on injured reserve due to a nagging foot injury. Newton suffered a Lisfranc injury to his left foot in the third preseason game that was aggravated during the team’s Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay. He hasn’t been able to practice with the team since.
Since surgery wasn’t recommended for the injury, Newton has been in a walking boot for several weeks. Unfortunately, he has not markedly improved from rehabilitation, according to a statement from the team. Kyle Allen has been starting in Newton’s place since Week 3 and is now expected to finish out the season. Allen is 5-1 in the six games he has started.
Panthers general manager Marty Hurney posted a statement on the team’s website that said: “For the past seven weeks, Cam has diligently followed a program of rest and rehab and still is experiencing pain in his foot. 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.”
The statement continued: “We have said all along that it is impossible to put a timetable on this injury. Nobody is more frustrated with that fact than Cam. He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been around during my 20-plus years in the League. At this time, we have decided that the best decision to reach the goal of bringing the foot back to 100 percent is to place Cam on injured reserve.”
Newton, who turned 30 in May, is entering the final year of his contract in 2020. He is scheduled to count $21.1 million against the 2020 salary cap. Before this injury, he had missed only three starts in seven years. His last two seasons have ended due to injury.
