CHARLOTTE -- While some of his new teammates spent the bye week away from the Carolinas, offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse spent that time adjusting to his new life in Charlotte.
After being traded from the Bills on September 25, Newhouse said he flew back and forth from Charlotte to Buffalo four times in three days. One of those days - September 29 - even happened to be Newhouse's 30th birthday. In spite of the sudden changes, the eight-year veteran said after his first practice with the team Monday that he's ready to compete.
"At the end of the day, I choose to make it positive. I choose to get the best out of it, so I'm excited to be here," Newhouse said. "The acclimation will come, I'm not worried about that."
Carolina will be Newhouse's sixth team since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Green Bay, where he became a Super Bowl champion in 2011. During his career, Newhouse has spent time at both tackle spots as a starter and reserve, and he'll serve as a backup at multiple spots in Carolina. He's versatile, and that's what the Panthers have always looked for in offensive linemen.
"I've done everything. I've backed up, I've started, left, right, whatever. I'm prepared for it," Newhouse said. "We're going to keep going and deal with that when we need to."
As a player with experience in numerous schemes, Newhouse brings depth to a Carolina offensive line that has had to make many adjustments already in 2018. But this was an addition that's been in the works for some time. Head coach Ron Rivera shared Monday that dealing for Newhouse was something he and general manager Marty Hurney started discussing in the preseason.
"When the opportunity came up last week, it was one that Marty felt strongly about," Rivera said. "He and I talked about it because Marty had showed me the tape on this guy in the preseason and we thought this would be a good move for us."
Last season, Newhouse started 14 games for the Raiders before being released by the team in March, freeing him up to sign with Buffalo. His other stops include the Bengals and Giants.
Blocking for quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton, Eli Manning and Derek Carr gave Newhouse a chance to play with some of the league's best. But, as Newhouse put it, Cam Newton is "way different" from those guys.
"You watch from afar and you see the things that he does and he puts you in a position to win," Newhouse said of his new quarterback. "He makes plays, makes other guys around him better.
"I just want to come in and do my job and help supplement that and support that."
