CHARLOTTE -- You never want to see your starting quarterback leave the locker room in a walking boot, but general manager Marty Hurney and the Panthers are hopeful Cam Newton will be ready for the regular season opener against the Rams.
"It's a left midfoot sprain and we are cautiously optimistic that he will be ready for Week 1," Hurney said of the injury Newton suffered against New England. "With that said, we'll learn more about it every day and see how it comes along."
Most starters aren't expected to play in the upcoming preseason finale against Pittsburgh. Right now, we're 16 days away from the opener. As for when Newton might return to practice and what his workload will look like, that's something that will be evaluated daily.
"It's really hard to put a timeframe because it depends how he responds each day," Hurney said. "But as I said, we feel this has got a chance to come around quick enough where he'll be ready to play Week 1. We'll see how it goes."
