CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers placed quarterback Cam Newton on injured reserve on Tuesday, meaning he can’t play for the rest of the regular season.

Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney said in a statement that Newton is still experiencing pain in his foot and needs to continue to rehab from the injury.

“He saw two foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue that path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal,” Hurney said. “We have said all along that it is impossible to put a timetable on this injury. Nobody is more frustrated with that fact than Cam.”

Newton could possibly return this season – if the Panthers reach the playoffs.

According to NFL rules, Newton could hypothetically be designated to return from IR after eight weeks if the Panthers (5-3) were to qualify for the postseason, although that scenario would be a longshot since he would not have played since Week 2.

Newton has missed the last six games while trying to rehab from a mid-foot sprain he initially sustained during the preseason.

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JAGUARS: Coach Doug Marrone believes quarterback Nick Foles gives the team “a better chance of winning right now.” So he announced Tuesday Foles will start over rookie sensation Gardner Minshew “going forward.”

He made the decision during the team’s bye week, saying Foles is ready to return from a broken left collarbone and will start next week at Indianapolis. Foles was injured while throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark on the second series of the team’s season opener. Minshew replaced him and went 4-4 as the starter, throwing for 2,285 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 235 yards but has lost seven of an NFL-leading 11 fumbles.

BROWNS: Safety Jermaine Whitehead apologized for his alarming postgame social media rant, a tirade that led to his release by the Browns. Whitehead was cut Monday after he posted several threatening and profane messages on Twitter following Cleveland’s 24-19 loss in Denver on Sunday.

The 26-year-old starter directed one of his messages at a former NFL player who had questioned his tackling. Whitehead used a derogatory racial term toward the player, and in another response to a fan said “Imma kill you.”

On his Instagram page, Whitehead expressed remorse.

BILLS: Buffalo signed defensive tackle Corey Liuget to a one-year contract in a bid to shore up their run defense.

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Liuget, 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, appeared in three games with Oakland this season before his release last week. He was drafted by the Chargers in the first round in 2011 and spent eight seasons with them.

TITANS: Tennessee placed cornerback Malcolm Butler on injured reserve after he injured his left wrist Sunday against Carolina.

Tennessee also re-signed cornerback Tye Smith, added wide receiver Rashard Davis to the practice squad and removed offensive lineman Daniel Munyer from the practice squad.

Butler got hurt when Carolina’s Curtis Samuel landed on his arm while making a touchdown catch late in the first half in Tennessee’s 30-20 loss. The Titans signed the former New England Patriots defensive back in March 2018 to a five-year deal worth more than $60 million, including over $30 million guaranteed.

DOLPHINS: Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has been released by Miami, who decided the former first-round pick couldn’t help their struggling defense. Nkemdiche was the 29th overall pick by Arizona in 2016.

EAGLES: Philadelphia placed DeSean Jackson on the injured reserve on the same day the wide receiver had surgery to correct a core muscle injury suffered earlier this season.

SEAHAWKS: Seattle  released disappointing fourth-round pick Gary Jennings and activated rookie offensive lineman Phil Haynes from the physically unable to perform list. Jennings was a highly regarded wide receiver coming out of West Virginia but could never earn a spot on the field. He was inactive for all nine games this season and became even more expendable when Seattle claimed Josh Gordon off waivers last week.

PLEA DEAL: Shortly before his retrial on rape, sodomy and other charges was set to begin, Kellen Winslow II on Monday agreed to a plea deal that will mean he will receive a 12- to 18-year prison sentence. The former NFL tight end, 36, had previously been found guilty in June of raping a 58-year-old California woman, in a trial in California. Five women testified during those proceedings, and Winslow faced several charges.

At the time, a jury also found him guilty on two misdemeanor charges and acquitted him of another, but it deadlocked on some charges, leading to the retrial. Winslow pleaded guilty Monday to the rape of an unconscious teenager in 2003 and the sexual battery of a 54-year-old woman in 2018. Other pending charges that were dismissed as part of the deal.

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