Panthers sign Allen, place Thompson on IR

The Carolina Panthers have signed quarterback Kyle Allen off the practice squad.

The move comes after coach Ron Rivera reported star quarterback Cam Newton will be benched for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America stadium. Newton has a shoulder injury.

Taylor Heinicke will be the starter on Sunday when Atlanta visit Charlotte, with Allen as his backup.

Allen, who was picked up by the Panthers in the spring as an undrafted free agent, has yet to play a down in the NFL.

Also on Wednesday , Carolina placed linebacker Shaq Thompson on injured reserve.

Thompson has also been dealing with a shoulder injury, but played 11 games and has appeared in every Panthers contest this season.

Thompson ends the season with  87 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble, the second-highest on the team behind linebacker Luke Kuechly.

The Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons at 1pm Sunday on Fox.