The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Newton’s shoulder surgery earlier this month brought an enormous sense of relief to both him and HC Ron Rivera. Not only did the arthroscopic scope provide clarity on the nature of the injury itself, there is already marked improvement in Newton’s shoulder health, according to Rivera, who spoke exclusively with the Observer over breakfast on Thursday morning in Atlanta. “I was there on one of his recovery days when (Newton) was working out with (head athletic trainer) Ryan Vermillion,” Rivera said. ”And one of the things he did say was that he has gotten a lot of range of motion back. So that was exciting to hear.”

Diehards Line: Rivera said that the arthroscopic procedure, Newton’s second surgery since March 2017, was as minimally invasive as possible. The idea was to clean out excess scar tissue that was affecting Newton’s range of motion and to, with the scope, literally see where any problems were -- because through the season, Rivera said, there was no clear way to know what was going on. "He knew something was wrong," Rivera explained. "But we didn’t know exactly what.” Newton was frustrated with the lack of clarity, as were coaches and doctors, Rivera added. Newton opened up about his injury in November, expressing his disappointment that after trying “everything” possible to get his shoulder feeling better, there was still no change in its status -- either for better or for worse. The Panthers decided to sit Newton for the final two games of the season, and knew they had to develop a concrete recovery plan for his throwing arm. The problem was, there was still so much gray area about the nature of the problem itself. Now, Carolina’s staff is optimistic that Newton will fully rehabilitated by training camp, and will give him the time he needs through the spring. They’re also relieved to have an answer for the problem that put him on the injury report since Week 8. ... We'll continue to follow up.