Can Foot Surgery Help Cam Newton Get His Career Back on Track?

Certain players just seem to be bitten by the injury bug. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is, unfortunately, one of those guys. For all of his potential as a running and passing threat, the QB’s can’t seem to avoid nagging injuries. His latest ailment, however, seems to be particularly troublesome.

After struggling to return from a Lisfranc injury, Newton finally landed on injured reserve. While his season is over, the quarterback is reportedly considering undergoing foot surgery in the coming weeks. But can that procedure revive Cam Newton’s flagging career?

Cam Newton’s injury history

In March 2017, Cam Newton had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. While everything seemed to go according to plan, that wasn’t the case. The quarterback played the entire season, but, in 2018, his shoulder started to bother him. After playing through the pain and struggling through a losing streak, Newton sat out the final two games of the campaign; he would undergo surgery on the joint during the offseason.

Cam showed up for the 2019 season looking, to put the injuries behind him, but things didn’t go as smoothly as he would have wanted. The Panthers dropped their opening two games, and Newton didn’t suit up in Week 3. The quarterback had aggravated a previous foot injury and found himself on the sidelines.

While Newton was expected to return from his Lisfranc injury in about six weeks, the quarterback couldn’t seem to recover. News broke that he would return to action, but that never materialized; after seeking out several opinions and declining to have surgery, the quarterback went on injured reserve, ending his season.

Electing for foot surgery after all

Over the weekend, news broke that Cam Newton was reconsidering foot surgery. While he had chosen not to go under the knife earlier in the season, the quarterback might be changing his tune.

Going on injured reserve seems to have made all the difference for Newton. While he previously harbored hopes of a return this year, that chance is essentially gone; if Cam’s season is over, either way, he might as well ensure that he has the best chance to recover.

If the quarterback goes under the knife, which would probably happen in the next few weeks, his maximum recovery time would be around three months. Rehab work would theoretically begin in the spring; Newton’s goal would be returning for summer OTAs or, in the case of another setback, training camp.

Can surgery save Cam Newton’s career?

While the team hasn’t officially confirmed or denied anything, it seems like Cam Newton’s time with the Panthers could be coming to an end. With Christian McCaffrey carrying the offensive load and Kyle Allen under center, Carolina doesn’t need an injury-prone veteran on the roster.

But Cam, by all accounts, still wants to play. His contract is actually quite tradable, not unlike Joe Flacco’s was, meaning that he could be starting in a new city next fall. His health, however, will remain a major question mark.

While it’s never easy predicting anyone’s response to a medical procedure, this surgery is probably Cam Newton’s best shot at recovery. If he goes under the knife promptly and recovers as expected, he’ll return to the field sometime in the spring. That will give him a chance to show other teams that he’s healthy and able to move without any lingering concerns.

The quarterback won’t have an easy road to recovery, but foot surgery might be the Hail Mary he needs to get back on track.