The Carolina Panthers are bound to have an interesting season, especially if star quarterback Cam Newton isn’t completely healthy.

If Newton isn’t ready to go for the first week of the season, Carolina will have to either turn to Kyle Allen or rookie Will Grier. It would not be the best way to start off the year.

However, there are some positives heading into the new season: Christian McCaffrey is looking to capitalize on a fantastic 2018 campaign, while the team added Chris Hogan to their wide receiving core. The team also has a solid defense to really hold things together if the offense isn’t running like a well-oiled machine right away.

The Panthers signed Gerald McCoy, Bruce Irvin and Ross Cockrell in the offseason to add to the defense. The team will also have a full season of Eric Reid in the secondary. Things don’t necessarily have to go awry should someone like Newton be out for the first couple of games.

The Panthers start their season on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Read below for more about the Panthers heading into the 2019 season.

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2019 SCHEDULE

Week Date Time (ET) Channel Opponent 1 Sept. 8 1:00 pm FOX Los Angeles Rams 2 Sept. 12 8:20 pm NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 Sept. 22 4:05 pm FOX @ Arizona Cardinals 4 Sept. 29 1:00 pm FOX @ Houston Texans 5 Oct. 6 1:00 pm CBS Jacksonville Jaguars 6 Oct. 13 9:30 am NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers (UK) 7 Bye 8 Oct. 27 4:05 pm FOX @ San Francisco 49ers 9 Nov. 3 1:00 pm CBS Tennessee Titans 10 Nov. 10 1:00 pm FOX @ Green Bay Packers 11 Nov. 17 1:00 pm FOX Atlanta Falcons 12 Nov. 24 1:00 pm FOX @ New Orleans Saints 13 Dec. 1 1:00 pm CBS Washington Redskins 14 Dec. 8 1:00 pm FOX @ Atlanta Falcons 15 Dec. 15 1:00 pm FOX Seattle Seahawks 16 Dec. 22 1:00 pm FOX @ Indianapolis Colts 17 Dec. 29 1:00 pm FOX New Orleans Saints

PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB: Cam Newton

QB: Kyle Allen

RB: Christian McCaffrey

DE: Gerald McCoy

LB: Luke Kuechkly

S: Eric Reid

PANTHERS DRAFT PICKS

Round 1, Pick 16: Brian Burns, LB/DE

Round 2, Pick 37: Greg Little, T

Round 3, Pick 100: Will Grier, QB

Round 4, Pick 115: Christian Miller, LB/DE

Round 5, Pick 154: Jordan Scarlett, RB

Round 6, Pick 212: Dennis Daley, T

Round 7, Pick 237: Terry Godwin, WR