Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 2 questions

Is Cam Newton capable of throwing deep?

Panthers fans surely remember the second half of the 2018 season when Newton was unable to drive the ball down the field as he did so well in years past. This season provided new optimism for the team after Cam’s shoulder surgery and preseason hype.

Reports and videos from this years’ training camp showed Newton hitting on deep throws to receivers’ Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore. Unfortunately, we did not get to see this in the first live game against the Rams. Newton’s longest pass went for just 17 yards to McCaffrey.

The Rams have one of the better secondaries in the league so offensive play-caller Norv Turner may have not wanted to test them on any deep plays.

The other possibility is that Cam does not have enough trust in his shoulder quite yet to make the throws down the field. Whichever one it is; it has to be addressed as the season goes on. The lack of a down-the-field threat makes the offense one dimensional and puts all the pressure on McCaffrey game after game.

If the Panthers are going to make a playoff run in 2019 they will have to be able to hit on some deep passing plays so that the opposing defenses can’t load the box against the run and short passing game.

Cam needs to be able to hit some deep throws against the Tampa Bay secondary otherwise fans and teammates might be skeptical about his arm strength and health moving forward.