When Cam Newton was at his best he was flinging the ball deep down the field often and efficiently. Over the last two seasons his long passing numbers have gone into steep decline, though. These stats from Pro Football Focus illustrate just how much Carolina’s deep passing game has fallen off.
According to PFF, Newton’s average depth of target from 2011-2016 was 10.3 yards, which was the second-highest average in the league. In the two seasons since it fell to 8.5 yards, which ranked No. 26. The percentage of deep pass attempts has also dramatically been reduced from first in the league all the way down to No. 28.
So, what happened to Newton’s famous cannon of a right arm?
In case you missed it, late in the 2016 season Newton injured his shoulder while diving to make a tackle after throwing an interception. The team ill-advisedly continued to start him even though their chances of making the playoffs were unrealistic at best. Newton delayed the surgery he needed and continued to play out the year and they missed out on the postseason anyway. Since that fateful pick and chase-down, Newton’s right shoulder has never quite been the same.
While he started off the 2018 season hot and looked like he could match some of his MVP-year production, the pain in Newton’s shoulder appeared to spike in the second half of the year. By the time he was effectively shut down for the season, Newton could barely even throw the ball 15 yards down the field. That’s a precipitous drop for a player who is strong enough to throw 40+ yards off of his back foot when he’s healthy.
Help may finally be on the way, though.
At this morning’s minicamp practice, the team live-streamed Newton’s throwing session with the goal of unveiling a reported “massive change” in Cam’s throwing mechanics.
Based on the few dozen throws that Newton made today, it’s entirely too early to make any kind of judgment on how his shoulder feels or how this will all work out. That said, Newton has needed to make an adjustment like this long before he ever dived for that tackle in 2016.
If quarterbacks coach Scott Turner has indeed found the answer to Newton’s shoulder/mechanic issues – thereby extending his career and fixing the team’s deep passing offense at the same time – he deserves a parade no matter where the Panthers finish in the standings.
