4 most impressive 2019 Panthers players from Week 1

Cam Newton – Former Carolina Panthers QB

Cam Newton wasted little time in making his presence felt with the New England Patriots. The quarterback signed a bargain deal late in the free agency period following his messy departure from the Carolina Panthers and it is evident that the former NFL MVP is out to prove a point in 2020.

Newton was at his brilliant best against the Miami Dolphins, who simply had no answer for his dual-threat presence under center. The signal-caller ran and threw the ball superbly and looked like the player of old. But there are stiffer challenges awaiting him in the coming weeks that should tell us more about what we can expect long-term in New England.

It was an eye-catching debut, in no uncertain terms. Newton completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 155 passing yards. But offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was also very keen to see whether the player was still able to work his magic in run packages.

Newton’s name was called for 15 rushes, designed or otherwise, picking up 75 yards and two touchdowns on his way to a quarterback rating of 75.9 and a 68.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.

This was a tremendous start for Newton, but it was against a Dolphins’ defense that doesn’t appear to have fixed the problems that blighted them last season. Much more will be needed from the former Panther in the next month against teams with more realistic ambitions of challenging in the postseason.