AP

The Panthers cleared one hurdle with quarterback Cam Newton as the offseason program came to an end when they had him on the field throwing passes during minicamp.

Newton spent much of the offseason rehabbing after shoulder surgery and focusing on tweaks to his mechanics that are designed to avoid further medical issues, so those throws represented a big step for Newton. There are others to take once the team gets to training camp.

As head coach Ron Rivera noted at the end of the offseason program, Newton and his receivers didn’t have much time to work together this spring and that means their chemistry will still need some attention.

“[Timing] is always a work in progress, and that’s kind of what happens when you don’t go through a spring,” Rivera said, via Joseph Person of TheAthletic.com. “But again, he’s had a good offseason. He’s done everything the trainers and doctors have asked of him, and he’s still got a little bit more work to go over the next 4 1/2, 5 weeks.”

Newton has held pre-camp throwing sessions with receivers in past seasons, but it’s unclear if the plan to make sure his shoulder is well will include such work this time around.