3 reasons Sam Darnold will shine for the Carolina Panthers
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold has been traded to the Carolina Panthers for multiple draft picks, and the quarterback can be a big success in 2021 and beyond.
The Carolina Panthers finally made a move at quarterback in pursuit of finding better production than Teddy Bridgewater gave them in 2020. The team confirmed that Sam Darnold was acquired from the New York Jets for three draft picks this year and next, meaning the organization can now move forward with another former first-round pick in the hope of mounting a postseason push.
This is something that has reportedly been in the pipeline for weeks. The Jets have made no secret about their desire to take a quarterback at No. 2, which is now almost guaranteed to be Zach Wilson out of BYU. Keeping Darnold around was simply not an option for them and getting a sixth-rounder this year, together with second and fourth-round selections in 2022 seems like a good deal for them to make.
As for the Panthers, they now have a low-risk, high-reward player that could be their long-term option if he picks things up quickly and shows improvement in 2021. Whether he can do this or not remains to be seen, but Carlina has bet big he can finally reach his potential.
Without further ado, here are some reasons why Darnold will shine for the Panthers in 2021.
Reason No. 1
Sam Darnold has an elite RB alongside him
One thing Sam Darnold has never had during his time with the Jets is an elite running back alongside him in the backfield. The signing of Le’Veon Bell promised to be just that before the player’s regression was evident from the outset, so having the benefit of Christian McCaffrey taking up most of the attention is going to help the signal-caller enormously.
McCaffrey appeared in just three games last season due to various injury problems. But judging by his workout videos on social media of late, the former Stanford product should fit and raring to go next time around.
That is good news for the Panthers and Darnold, who gets arguably the best dual-threat back in the NFL to lean on. It’s the ideal situation for the quarterback as he looks to make the most out of a fresh start.