Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Wednesday that veteran quarterback Cam Newton, now back for a second act with the team, is "trending toward" starting Sunday in a home matchup against Washington.
And although Newton hasn't received much time to learn Carolina's playbook, CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora believes the team can only benefit from Newton's leadership inside the locker room and presence on the field.
"Cam brings an energy, a swagger, and an edge to that offense. It's awesome. You saw it manifest itself in a small sample size last week," La Canfora told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Thursday. "Him and Christian McCaffrey back there in the pistol is going to be interesting. They weren't the throwing the ball downfield all year. Sam Darnold was turning it over far too much and he was kind of seeing ghosts again.
"No one's going to make Cam see ghosts. He might make a mistake here or there, but he just brings an element of physicality to the offense now. And if they can help that defense out a little bit more, hold onto the ball a little bit more, be a bit more efficient, they're 5-5... That whole division to me is far more wide open than I would've expected heading into the holiday season."
Newton, who recently signed a one-year free agent deal with the Panthers, saw action in the team's blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday. The 32-year-old appeared in eight total plays, and completed 3 of 4 passes for eight yards with two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Following his score on the ground, Newton celebrated by telling one of the end zone cameramen, "I'm back."
Carolina (5-5) and Washington (3-6) are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Panthers currently have a 34-percent chance to make the playoffs and a 13-percent chance to win the NFC South.
The entire NFL conversation between La Canfora and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.