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Heinicke earns start for Panthers at Pittsburgh

By Brandon Scott

CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 17: Taylor Heinicke #6 of the Carolina Panthers throws a pass against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter during the game at Bank of America Stadium on August 17, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 17: Taylor Heinicke #6 of the Carolina Panthers throws a pass against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter during the game at Bank of America Stadium on August 17, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Taylor Heinicke given a legitimate opportunity with the Carolina Panthers…

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings, with Norv Turner as offensive coordinator, Taylor Heinicke received his first taste of NFL football. A year after not appearing in a regular season game, Heinicke suffered an “off the field” ankle injury causing him to miss a majority of his second year. Just prior to the 2017 season, Heinicke was released by Minnesota.

In the following year, Heinicke spent time with both the New England Patriots and Houston Texans organizations before finally getting his first opportunity to perform in a regular season game. Starting the second half of a Monday night Christmas matchup, Heinicke sustained a concussion on his first possession after completing his lone pass attempt.

Waived this past spring, Carolina enlisted his services as competition for Garrett Gilbert to backup franchise quarterback Cam Newton. Gilbert entered 2018 as the front-runner after an impressive preseason one year ago but has seemingly lost ground to Heinicke this year.

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Still in competition, the two will be given one more chance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason finale Thursday night. Coach Ron Rivera has given the nod to Heinicke as starter with intentions of playing one full quarter followed by Gilbert receiving the same amount of time before the half. Afterwards, Kyle Allen is expected to be under center for the entire second half of action.

Ultimately the Panthers have to determine if keeping three quarterbacks on the active roster is possible prior to the Saturday, September 1, 4:00pm deadline. Depth at other critical positions would suffer if Carolina chooses to do so – opposite the norm, unless a third player can contribute elsewhere a la Joe Webb during his time with the Panthers.

Panthers vs. Steelers - Preseason Game 4. dark. Next

Tune in Thursday night to see which quarterback, Heinicke or Gilbert, will be the last to impress coaches and potentially win the backup role.

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