The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The Panthers believe Newton could be ready for training camp after last month's arthroscopic shoulder surgery and certainly expect the star quarterback to be ready to start the 2019 NFL regular season, a league source told ESPN. Neither Newton nor the Panthers have publicly offered a timeline for when he could return following surgery on his right shoulder, but one source familiar with the surgery told ESPN that "it's all positive."

Diehards Line: While the Panthers haven't put out an official timeline, HC Ron Rivera recently told the Charlotte Observer that the early reports were optimistic and that report suggested the same timeline being laid out by ESPN's Adam Schefter this morhning. Newton missed the final two games after battling shoulder pain and discomfort throughout this past season. But after undergoing his second shoulder surgery in the past three offseasons, the former league MVP is on track to be ready to go at some point this summer. Soreness in the shoulder prevented Newton from attempting deep passes midway through the season and ultimately made other throws difficult as well. The soreness first became an issue following an Oct. 21 win at Philadelphia in which he had to throw 22 times in the fourth quarter. The soreness got worse as the season progressed, contributing to Carolina's seven-game losing streak after a 6-2 start.