Exit Cam Newton.
Enter Taylor Heinicke.
Newton, who’s been dealing with a sore shoulder, will not play when the Panthers host the Falcons Sunday.
“Cam will be inactive this week,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said in a conference call with the Atlanta media on Wednesday about his starting quarterback. “Taylor Heinicke will start. Kyle Allen will be our backup and we’ll go from there and see what happens.”
Heinicke is from Gwinnett County and played at Collins Hill High before starring at Old Dominion.
Newton, a former standout at Westlake High and Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn, has struggled to throw the ball downfield this season. He has experienced complications from his 2016 shoulder surgery. The issue has played a role in the Panthers’ six-game losing streak.
After the Panthers lost to the Saints on Monday, Newton discussed his shoulder soreness at length.
“It doesn’t matter how much you push,” Newton said to the Charlotte media during the postgame news conference. “Ice, anti-inflammatories you take. ... I mean, trust me, I did it. Acupuncture. Massages. It’s just not been a time that (a) night has gone by without me getting some type of work done on my arm.
“We just don’t have the strength, from the range of motion.”
The Panthers, who have a less than two percent chance of making the playoffs, are going to give Heinicke his first NFL start.
“What is going to happen is that Cam won’t start his week,” Rivera said. “He’s still on the 53 (man roster). He’s still active. He’s part of what we’ll do going forward. We’ll see how the rest of the season unfolds.”
Heinicke, who once passed for more than 700 yards in a college game, has played in just six NFL games. He’s completed 2 of 4 passes for 46 yards this season.
Heinicke, 25, has also spent time with the Vikings, Patriots and Texans.
“Taylor is a solid football player,” Rivera said. “Very smart. Strong arm. Very athletic. Mobile. Understands the offense. He’s been in the offense for a while. He was with Norv (Turner) up in (Minnesota). It was kind of a natural thing for us to want to bring him here and have him as a part of our offense.”
The Panthers offense has revolved around running back Christian McCaffery, who leads them in rushing and receiving.
McCaffery has rushed 194 times for 979 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s caught 94 passes for 768 yards and six touchdowns.
He’ll be Heinicke’s main weapon.
“I think not just leaning on him, but our other play-makers that we have,” Rivera said. “We have a good group of guys. I think they all understand how important it is for them to do their jobs. Again, by doing that, that gives us a good opportunity. We’ll see how things happens.”
Most of the Falcons are not familiar with Heinicke’s work.
“That’s crazy,” defensive end Brooks Reed said before practice. “That’s weird. I don’t even know who the backup is. We have to watch the film on him. I don’t really know much about him.”
The Falcons planned to study Heinicke after practice.
“We will I’d imagine in the next couple of days,” Reed said of learning more about Carolina’s new starting quarterback. “Obviously, the game plan is going to change if Cam is not playing.”
The Falcons know McCaffery will be the focus of the offense.
“Nothing is going to change with him,” Reed said. “He’ll be getting the ball no matter what.”
Falcons linebacker Deion Jones wasn’t overly concerned.
“Who ever is up, is up,” Jones said. “We have our game plan and we just have to execute it.”
Heinicke, is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds. He was undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2015. He threw 132 touchdowns passes in college.
On Sept. 22, 2012, against New Hampshire, Heinicke passed for a Division I-record 730 yards and five touchdowns.
“He has a nice arm,” Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel said. “Watch his touch passes. He has the ability to throw the out routes, comebacks and things of that nature. Plays that you ask quarterbacks to make in this league.”
The Falcons watched a lot of Heinicke’s exhibition season tape before the second game of the season.
“This guy, he’s mobile, but he’s not Cam,” Manuel said. “He more of pocket passer from that standpoint. He can get out on bootlegs and things of that nature.”
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