Panthers coach Ron Rivera hasn't ruled out shutting down quarterback Cam Newton for the season because of a sore right throwing shoulder.Rivera said Tuesday he plans to meet with Newton later in the week and figure out where he is "in terms of his physical state and mental state" before deciding if he will start Sunday against Atlanta."It's a tough situation right now Youth Ian Thomas Jersey ," Rivera added. "Until I get a chance to visit with him I'm not going to speculate.""I'm not looking forward to that conversation," Newton said after Carolina's 12-9 loss to the Saints on Monday night.The eighth-year quarterback was noticeably frustrated talking about his lingering shoulder injury. The chiseled 6-foot-5, 245-pounder was a mere shell of his former self, struggling to throw the ball more than 10 yards down the field.Newton's frustration stems from not knowing exactly what the issue is with his shoulder."I think the thing, when you talk to different people who can help you with it, is that there's not any magical surgery or whatever. It's just time," Newton said. "I've tried and done everything."He's been taking anti-inflammatories Stitched Ian Thomas Jersey , getting massages and trying acupuncture. He said there hasn't been a night that's gone by without having some type of work done on his shoulder.Newton has been on a "pitch count" in practice for the better part of the season, often not throwing at all on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the week so he can rest.Nothing seems to work.He said the shoulder is not getting worse, but it's not getting better either.However, the missed time in practice is affecting his timing with his receivers and he doesn't have the same zip on the ball as he did when he led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season, throwing for 35 touchdowns."I've been eager to go to (head trainer Ryan Vermillion's) office, weeks and weeks and weeks and kind of find out what it is. 'Did you find something? What am I supposed to do? What do we have to do?'" Newton said. "... It is what it was, just a lot of soreness and tension in the joints."Without a diagnosis that demands he sits out Youth Rashaan Gaulden Jersey , Newton has continued to play through the pain 鈥?and the frustration.He doesn't even know if he will need another surgery after the season.Rivera doesn't seem to know exactly what's wrong with Newton either, referring all injury-related questions to the team's medical staff. The Associated Press requested to talk to Vermillion through the team's PR department, but he was not made available for comment.The Panthers (6-8) still have a very slim chance of making the playoffs 鈥?less than one percent, according to the website fivethirtyeight 鈥攂ut have lost six straight and morale is low.But that still could be enough to convince Rivera to stick with Newton another week."Believe it or not, there's a slim glimmer, so we'll see," Rivera said of the decision to start Newton on Sunday.Center Ryan Kalil said "nobody is more frustrated than Cam.""I've played a long time with the guy and he takes it personal. It's been a frustrating season Stitched Rashaan Gaulden Jersey , needless to say," Kalil said.He called Newton one of the toughest players he's ever played with."I've seen the guy take hits and get his body up, game after game, season after season," Kalil said. "Hits that I have seen him take other guys wouldn't get up from. He fights through a lot of stuff."Newton's stats were miserable against the Saints 鈥?16 of 29 for 131 yards for a season-low 52.5 passer rating, by far the worst of the season. He was sacked four times.If Rivera decides to sit Newton, Taylor Heinicke would get his first start.When asked what good it does to play an injured Newton with little to gain Youth Donte Jackson Jersey , Rivera said Tuesday, "in all intents and purposes, we play to win." The Panthers are hopeful that quarterback Cam Newton‘s health will be better during the 2019 season and head coach Ron Rivera said on ESPN Friday that the team thinks Newton will be ready for camp after having shoulder surgery.Rivera also talked about the need to bolster the offensive line in hopes of keeping Newton from taking the kinds of hits that could sideline him. With center Ryan Kalil retiring, right tackle Daryl Williams headed for free agency and left tackle Matt Kalil injured much of the time, it seems obvious that the team will be looking for offensive line help this offseason.Rivera confirmed as much during his television appearance and said the draft and free agency are both avenues they’ll use to do that. That’s not the only offensive addition they’ll think about making, however.“But also we’ll look at playmakers,” Rivera said. “We’ll look at guys that when the ball gets in their hands Stitched Donte Jackson Jersey , they take the pressure off the quarterback. Whether it be a runner, a receiver, a tight end … We’re going forward knowing that we’ve got to do things to make our team better, and first and foremost is we’ve got to protect the quarterback and put playmakers around him.”The Panthers have taken offensive playmakers — running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver D.J. Moore — in the first round of the last two drafts, which may make the line a better bet if they go for an offensive player early in this year’s draft.