Carolina Panthers: Backup quarterback battle at center stage on Thursday

The Carolina Panthers backup quarterback battle is going to be fun to watch.

I’m excited for the Carolina Panthers game on Thursday as I am sure all of you are as well. Moreover, I’m excited to see what becomes of the quarterback situation. Head coach Ron Rivera has said that all for quarterbacks will play on Thursday. My guess is that Cam Newton will not play a ton, as the team has been very wary of how much he throws. Considering he is coming off surgery, that is a smart thing to do.

With Newton probably not getting a ton of snaps on Thursday, that will leave plenty of room for the quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Will Grier to run the show. Grier has been listed as the third-string quarterback for now, while Allen has been penciled into the second spot. It makes sense, as Allen has technically more professional experience then Grier does. I say “technically” because the reps he received in the season finale against New Orleans were not exactly high-stress ones. Nevertheless, they most definitely count.

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Preseason isn’t really a time to show off Newton anyway. It is more going to be about how the backup quarterbacks do. Thursday may in fact be the start of what is sure to be an ongoing battle for the second quarterback spot. Right now, it is Allen’s job to lose. Time will tell if he will be able to keep that job throughout the course of the season.

Grier has a ton of talent and a certain amount of pedigree, at least in the collegiate ranks. He played well at West Virginia and showed he is certainly ready to go to the next level. For his part, Allen came into last season with a bunch of pedigree as well. Particularly at the high school and collegiate level, he opened some eyes. Of course, none of that matters now in the grand scheme of things, but the non-NFL experience of these two should help them in the quarterback battle moving forward.

It will be interesting to see how the snaps are divided up on Thursday. Will Allen get more snaps? Will Grier get more snaps seeing as he is a rookie and the coaches probably want to see what he can do? Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that the backup quarterback battle is going to heat up on Thursday. There should be plenty of opportunities for them in the game, and it should give us a good idea of where each player sits after the first week of camp. It will be the first iteration of what should be an entertaining battle. It will be even more exciting to see who comes out on top.