![]() Turner acolyte Rob Chudzinski was Newton's first offensive coordinator in 20 when the QB had his two best seasons in terms of passing yards and YPA. The biggest change, though, might be the addition of offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Moore, and Jarius Wright was signed to work underneath routes from the slot. That aspect should at least change this year with the additions of Torrey Smith and rookie first-round pick D.J. With Ted Ginn gone, the only potential deep threat was rookie Curtis Samuel, who had 2.9 targets per game prior to his season-ending injury. Tight end Greg Olsen missed nine full games and parts of two others with a foot injury, and running back Christian McCaffrey led the team in catches. Much of it had to do with a criminally weak WR unit that offered little outside Devin Funchess, especially after Kelvin Benjamin was traded midseason. Newton completed just 13 of 48 attempts of more than 20 yards, posting a career-low 45.3 passer rating (30th) on downfield throws. But his passing was just as mediocre as in 2016, with his YPA dropping to a career-low 6.7 as he struggled throwing downfield. He led quarterbacks in rushing, totaling nearly 400 yards more than he had the previous year while also scoring an additional touchdown. Newton bounced back last year from a poor fantasy season in 2016, thanks mostly to his rushing production. The Panthers are optimistic that he'll bounce back from a preseason foot sprain to suit up for Week 1. ![]() And considering he's averaged 6.0-8.7 rush attempts per game every year in the league - including 7.2 per game last year even with the bum shoulder - Newton should have enough rushing production to challenge for top-5 QB status. Moore and Curtis Samuel both flashed big-play potential last season, and tight end Greg Olsen is back from a foot injury. If he's finally healthy, he'll likely start looking downfield more, and with it, should find increased production. Newton underwent another shoulder surgery in January, which included removing scar tissue left from his 2017 procedure, and resumed throwing footballs in May. The cautious approach inflated his completion percentage to a career-high 67.9 as he threw short time and again. Newton's 5.7 YPA on downfield attempts was the lowest by a full two yards. Longer than 20 yards last season, and his 7.3-yard average depth of target was higher than only Blake Bortles (7.0) among 33 qualified QBs. He struggled throwing downfield last year even before he showed up on the injury report Week 8, noting that he "couldn't throw the ball farther than 30 yards." It certainly showed - a league-low 7.2 percent of his attempts were Newton played much of last season with a lingering shoulder injury that has hampered his ability to throw since 2016, though he had surgery on a torn rotator cuff in March 2017. ![]()
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