Panthers Are Sitting Cam Newton. Other Teams Out of the NFL Playoffs Should Follow Suit

The Carolina quarterback, who's been dealing with shoulder soreness, has been smartly shut down for the remainder of the season. A few reason why teams like the Packers and the Giants should also start their backups.

David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/TNS via Getty Images

The Panthers did the smart and prudent thing on Wednesday by announcing that Cam Newton will not play for the remainder of the season. He’s been experiencing soreness in his shoulder throughout the second half of the season and, though the injury seemingly can’t get any worse with more exposure, Carolina decided it has a better chance of winning with a healthy Taylor Heinicke than a used-up Newton.

With less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs, the Panthers’ 2018 season is essentially done. It’s possible Newton will need his second shoulder surgery in three years, or he could just need a long offseason rest—either way, the franchise and head coach Ron Rivera are doing the right thing. Now it’s time for other teams with no shot of making the playoffs to follow suit.

For the Giants and Packers (and to a lesser extent the Lions and Raiders), the move should be to sit their starting quarterbacks and play the backups in the final two games of the season. Here’s why.

1. Keep the starter healthy. Anything can happen in these final weeks. A meaningless scramble could wind up costing the player eight months of rehab on his knee, putting him in danger of missing the season opener of 2019. Aaron Rodgers’s knee hasn’t been 100% since the first half of the first game of the season. Sitting him ensures that his knee isn’t torn up on some meaningless play.

2. See what you have in the backup quarterback. What happens if Alex Tanney puts in two solid performances in place of Eli Manning? Maybe Kyle Lauletta recovers from his bad fourth quarter against Washington and performs well. What if DeShone Kizer, having been under the tutelage of Rodgers for a full season, shows he’s improved dramatically since his time in Cleveland? We’d all call him Matt Flynn and have a chuckle... But in all seriousness, getting some good tape of the backup—like Kizer or Heinicke—could do wonders down the road when a quarterback-needy team is offering a third-round pick at the trade deadline next October. Lest we forget that the Patriots got a former first-round receiver in exchange for Jacoby Brissett, who played well in his two starts.

3. Tank. When the season is lost and there’s nothing to gain, lose games. No coach should be expected to win with a backup in these December games, so it shouldn’t affect how at-risk his job is. By putting an inferior player at the most important position on the field, you’re increasing your chances of losing, which betters your draft position, which presumably will better your team for years to come.

Not getting this newsletter in your inbox yet?Sign up for The MMQB’s Morning Huddle.

HOT READS

NOW ON THE MMQB: Quarterbacks are on the rise in our latest mock draft. … Tim Rohan finishes his incredible true crime podcast on Steve McNair with questions that remain unanswered. … Andy Benoit tells you about the ugly start to Kyle Turley’s life after football. … The end is never near for the Patriots so long as Bill Belichick is the coach, writes Michael Rosenberg. … and more.

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: How Seattle built a run-based offense that suits quarterback Russell Wilson. … Jenny Vrentas on how shorter quarterbacks are breaking the mold. … Robert Klemko stumps for Darius Leonard’s Pro Bowl candidacy. … Come and get your power rankings here!

PRESS COVERAGE

1. Nathan Peterman is signing with the Oakland Raiders. Peterman is only signed to the Raiders practice squad, but I wouldn’t put it past Gruden to get him out there by Week 17. Before the 2017 NFL draft, Gruden wrote that Peterman is the draft’s most pro-ready QB.

2. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk looks at how not making the Pro Bowl impacts Richard Sherman and his contract.

3. The Ringer’s Kevin Clark says the analytics revolution in football is finally happening.

4. TMZ (who else?) has the footage of Washington’s Montae Nicholson knocking an unknown man out this week.

5. This is a fantastic and inspiring post from Steelers RB James Conner on the text he got from Aaron Donald three years ago.

THE KICKER

Miami running back Frank Gore is heading to the injured reserve after spraining his foot against the Vikings last week. He has started in 122 consecutive games, and obviously that will end on Sunday. How impressive is it? The next closest running back to Gore is Christian McCaffrey, who boasts all of 18 consecutive starts.

Question? Comment? Story idea? Let the team know at talkback@themmqb.com