Carolina Panthers: Taylor Heinicke’s new deal sensible for team

The Carolina Panthers made the right move extending Taylor Heinicke.

Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke is not going anywhere. Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers announced that the signal-caller signed a one-year contract to return to the team.

This is an especially welcome development for Heinicke. He suffered an injury in the first start of his career in week 16. After  throwing his first career touchdown, he was the victim of an left elbow injury caused by a late hit. However, he showed he was tough as nails, only sitting on the sidelines for one possession and finishing the rest of the game. He was promptly put on injured reserve following the team’s 33-14 win over the Saints.

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In total, he would appear in six games in 2018. He completed 35-of-57 passes for 320 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Those are not necessarily the best numbers, but in his defense, most of them came either in unexpected situations or garbage time. He would record the three interceptions against the Falcons on December 23 in what would be a 24-10 loss for the Panthers.

This is a great move for the organization as it adds another quarterback to the room. Obviously you have Cam Newton as a starter and then Kyle Allen as a backup. Having a healthy competition between backup quarterbacks can only strengthen their play and make them want to work harder. Who knows? Newton (although hopefully not) may suffer an injury at some point during the 2019 season. In that case, both quarterbacks need to be ready to come into the game. You would have to think Heinicke is still the top backup quarterback on the depth chart at this point. Although Allen had a great game against the Saints in the finale, he still has to prove himself a bit.

This is probably not the type of signing the fans want to hear about, as the Carolina Panthers have many areas they need to address. Even still, this is an important one for Carolina. He showed that he had potential last season and I would personally love to see him build off it in 2019.

He may be one of the more talented backup quarterbacks in the National Football League right now, and that is certainly a good thing. You always want to have reassurance at a position that requires excellent play every game. How he is able to come back from his surgery and how well he can throw the football will be something to watch come training camp.