Cam Newton will have rotator cuff surgery

Cam Newton will have surgery on a partially torn rotator cuff, the Carolina Panthers announced on their website. The Carolina Panthers quarterback suffered that injury at some point during the regular season and played through it. He’s expected to be back by the start of training camp.

Of course, his participation is not the real worry. The real worry is how that injury will affect his play going forward. Rotator cuff injuries have threatened careers and affected throwing ability before, and one almost ended Drew Brees’ playing days — though he fully recovered, fortunately for him, unfortunately for the NFC South.

According to the official website, the Panthers decided to proceed with surgery after Newton saw increased pain after starting to throw, following slome rehabilitation work on his injured but not surgically repaired shoulder.

There are no real indications that this shoulder injury will present a structural problem for Newton going forward, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.