NFC South Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Cam Newton

Falcons

• Falcons CB Desmond Trufant did not participate minicamp due to an excused absence for personal reasons, per Jason Butt.
• Falcons TE Austin Hooper will also sit out with an ankle injury which is not expected to sideline him during training camp.

Panthers

Panthers CB Ross Cockrell is almost recovered from a gruesome broken leg injury he suffered during training camp last year. His goal is to be ready again for training camp this year, but it’s been a long road back. 

“I had to learn to walk again,” Cockrell said via ESPN’s David Newton. “Completely learn how to walk again. It was a lot of pain.”

Cam Newton

Panthers QB Cam Newton‘s rehab from shoulder surgery this offseason has been going well and the veteran is set to participate fully in minicamp this week. 

“He’s really attacked this rehab, and he’s done everything he could possibly do physically to get back to where he is with the shoulder,” Panthers OC Norv Turner said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “The rehab’s gone great. Obviously, part of it he did on his own, a big part of it, before we got back. But since April 20 or so, when we got back, he’s been totally engaged, both physically and mentally. It’s been fun to watch him. He’s very serious about the rehab, but he’s been Cam. Everyone likes being around him. He brings energy every day, and he’s very helpful with the young quarterbacks.”

The hope is the Panthers can pick up where they left off when the offense was clicking before Newton’s shoulder gave out. 

“His second year in a system, there was change for Cam last year, change for me,” Turner said. “With the young players, their second year, we should see some real growth—D.J. [Moore], and Curtis Samuel, and even Christian [McCaffrey]. I think that we can be a really, really explosive offense, and his ability to do so many things makes it really hard for defenses, and we’ll still mix some things in where he’s the featured ballcarrier. We know it starts with him.”