The Carolina Panthers have more than just a cloud of uncertainty hanging over them as 2019 begins. It’s more like a total overcast. A laundry list of pending free agents and numerous holes to fill on the roster are both concerns. The greatest uncertainty though is once again the status of starting quarterback Cam Newton’s right shoulder.

Aided by fresh play-calling and a better-than-expected offensive line, Newton started the 2018 campaign on a tear, playing at a level he never has in his career except for his 2015 MVP season.

Slowly but surely, Newton’s arm strength declined over the year. Halfway through the season, he started showing up on the injured report as a limited participant in practice. Coach Ron Rivera called it a “new normal,” even though Newton has gone through a similar routine in the past when his shoulder was bothering him.

By the end of the season, Newton was practically unrecognizable. His throws had no zip and he was shut down for the team’s final two games of 2018.

Going into the new year, the single most important thing for the Panthers organization is to decide on a course of action for their franchise quarterback as soon as possible.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner admitted that there’s a sense of urgency now, according to Joseph Person at the Athletic.

“There’s a sense of urgency right now of having an exact plan for Cam and diagnosis of where he’s at. . . We certainly wouldn’t want to get caught in this situation again,” Turner said. “So that will create a sense of urgency about how we evaluate quarterbacks.”

If Newton is not 100 percent healthy to begin the 2019 season, it will obviously be a huge problem for Carolina.

Among the backup quarterbacks on the roster, only the undrafted rookie Kyle Allen showed any real promise on the field. Sharp as he looked against the New Orleans third-string defense this week, if Allen is slotted as the QB1 to begin the year, it won’t be an ideal situation.

Newton’s conundrum has drawn a lot of comparisons to Andrew Luck, who went through a similar problem. After getting banged up by a terrible offensive line for years, Luck was in no shape to compete to start 2015 and didn’t regain his form until this season.

What ultimately gave Luck his second wind was sitting out the entire 2017 campaign to let his body rest and recover. It’s possible Newton will have to do something similar.

Remember, he’s already undergone surgery on his shoulder and there’s no guarantee that going under the knife again will fix the problem.

If Newton needs to sit out 2019 to give his shoulder the proper time to heal, that’s exactly what the team needs to do. He’s too valuable to continue taking half-measures and hoping for the best. If surgery is the way to go, then that needs to happen as quickly as possible.

Either way, finding a bridge quarterback as an insurance policy should be high on the front office’s list of priorities for this coming offseason.