Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Newton officially has his old starting job back, but that does not mean he is going to be the only quarterback the Carolina Panthers use in Week 11.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Friday that Newton will start Sunday’s game against Washington. He specified that Newton will “take the first play.”

Rhule’s message seemed pretty clear. Newton didn’t start in last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, but he played a big role. The Panthers used him in goal line packages right off the bat, and he rushed for a score and threw for another.

Newton will likely be even more involved on Sunday, but Rhule seemed to hint that they will still use P.J. Walker in some capacity.

Though Newton may not be the MVP-caliber player he was in his first stint with Carolina, he proved in his first game back that he is still a leader. We’re not surprised he has already been given the starting job.

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