Newton to start vs. Bucs, Darnold will get snaps in return

The Carolina Panthers will start quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Sam Darnold will also receive snaps in his return from a shoulder injury, head coach Matt Rhule announced Wednesday, according to David Newton of ESPN.

Newton has struggled since returning to Carolina in the wake of Darnold's injury. He's 0-4 this season as the starter and has five turnovers in his past three starts.

Darnold was also playing poorly prior to his injury after a solid start to his career with the Panthers. The signal-caller went 1-4 from Week 5-9 while completing just 51.88% of his passes for 797 yards and two touchdowns against eight interceptions.

However, the Panthers are likely motivated to give Darnold a chance to regain his form after guaranteeing his 2022 salary of $18.86 million. The team picked up his fifth-year option following an offseason trade from the New York Jets.

The NFC South club has also given snaps to backup P.J. Walker during Newton's stint as the starter due to the former MVP's unfamiliarity with the playbook.

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