Cam Newton will not play in the Carolina Panthers’ season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team confirmed following David Newton of ESPN’s initial report.
Derek Anderson will start at quarterback in place of Cam Newton today. #CARvsTB
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 7, 2014
Newton is recovering from a hairline rib fracture suffered in the Panthers’ preseason matchup with the New England Patriots. Veteran Derek Anderson will start in his place and Joe Webb will serve as Anderson’s backup.
The former first-round pick out of Auburn appeared in all 48 regular-season games through the first three seasons of his NFL career. However, the Panthers were unwilling to risk further injury of their franchise quarterback and have decided it is in the best interest of the team to make him wait at least another week before returning.
