5 reasons bringing Cam Newton back was the right call

Cam Newton could be the missing piece

This Carolina Panthers squad is simultaneously the most complete and most broken team in recent fan memory. After some struggles and a few questionable calls by general manager Scott Fitterer, the special teams’ group has finally settled down with Zane Gonzalez becoming the most automatic kicker not named Justin Tucker in the last few weeks and emergency fill-in Lachlan Edwards is punting with some real authority.

On the defensive side of things, this squad has been ready for the big time, minus some injury hiccups and a frustrating inability to even slow down a run game since the word go and shows no signs of slowing down after the introduction of Stephon Gilmore into the secondary.

But that is only two-thirds of a championship team.

The other third is an offense that has been lethargic at best since a 3-0 start and simply hasn’t held up its end of the bargain. Which I’m sure is incredibly frustrating to the defense in particular which has turned in some real gems when not fighting a short field on every drive.

Having a complete team is the only way to consistently win games at this level and you can look at the Kansas City Chiefs for proof of that point. Their offense is undeniably championship ready but the fact that their defense couldn’t stop a particularly aggressive breeze puts an incredible amount of pressure on them.

This team needed a proven leader. Someone who can whip the offense into shape and bring it up to the level of the other positional groups.

That man is Cam Newton.

The former MVP doesn’t even have to be a hero. All the Panthers need from Newton is a steady presence that doesn’t actively lose the game because the defense will keep them close.

With his guiding hand, this team might be a lot closer to contention than anyone thought just a few short days ago.