INDIANAPOLIS _ New Panthers coach Matt Rhule made it clear Tuesday that he wants a healthy quarterback Cam Newton on Carolina's roster.
Rhule spoke to the media at the NFL combine for the first time since his introductory press conference. He praised Newton's work ethic in his attempt to return to full health for the first time two years and continued to emphasize that the team does not know exactly what the future holds.
"Oh yeah, absolutely. I absolutely want Cam here. There's no doubt about that," Rhule said when asked if he saw Newton on the roster in September. "Again, I'm going to be very methodical about the way I do things. That makes me kind of boring sometimes, I get it. But at the end of the day, it's all about what's next for us. We have to make sure that we continue to get him healthy. And he's doing a great job of that, I want to make sure I say that _ he's going above and beyond in that regard. When healthy, there's no doubt about who he is or what he can do. We just have to get him there."
Rhule wouldn't commit to Newton being the Panthers' starter in Week 1, but said that philosophy applied to every player on the team _ not just quarterback; everyone has to earn their place, prioritizing keeping the feeling of competition among all of the players on the roster, regardless of how things stood last year.
"I think it's really important to me as I go in there that first year, I want to create a culture of competition, I want to create a culture where nothing's promised to anybody," Rhule said. "I think in years two and three, maybe it'll be a little bit different. But that being said, I don't think that has anything to do with Cam. That just has to do with overall philosophy."
He added that Newton has been doing a "great job" of getting himself ready to return to play: "We haven't really seen a healthy Cam in two years. ... I don't really care if he's full speed until September."
Rhule also pointed out that the Panthers have to do their part in getting Newton back to full health, along with what the quarterback has been doing, and specifically said that bringing him back "slowly" would be part of the process they have for him.
When asked on the subject two weeks ago, owner David Tepper kept the topic strictly to his health, despite Newton expressing that he would "absolutely" be in Carolina for the 2020 season during the week prior to the Super Bowl.
"I'm not a doctor. I've said it a million times, is he healthy? And (Newton's) not a doctor, there's a lot of different things that can happen. But first, is he healthy?" Tepper said. "Tell me that and then we can talk."
Considering Tepper's recent comments, Rhule was asked if the owner was on the same page in his feelings towards Newton.
"We all have to assess the health of every player we have. I think there's tremendous alignment from Dave to (general manager) Marty (Hurney) to myself," Rhule said. The good part about being the coach is I get to coach the guys. The other guys have different roles. As the coach, I want to coach Cam. I want to get him healthy. ... I think there's no question within our organization about the alignment, in terms of Cam or any other player in terms of where we're at."
A report from NFL Network early Tuesday said much of what was already known about the team's situation. Newton is on the road to recovery and he has been in the team's facility this offseason. A potential trade of the franchise quarterback has always been complicated by his injury.
Newton missed all but two regular-season games in 2019 due to a Lisfranc injury in his left foot he suffered during the team's third preseason game against the Patriots. He started the first two games of the regular season, both losses, but didn't play again after he and the team decided it made the most sense to try and get fully healthy following his experience with a shoulder injury. He has had two shoulder surgeries, and it especially impacted him during the second half of the 2018 season.
The Panthers placed Newton on injured reserve Nov. 5 and he had surgery Dec. 9 after evaluating his options. The quarterback will be 31 years old when the 2020 season begins. Newton is entering the last year of his deal with the Panthers. The team would save $19.1 million by not having him on the roster and he would be a cap hit of $21.1 million if he is on the team.
