5 winners and losers from Panthers trade for Sam Darnold

Will Grier – Carolina Panthers QB

One player that is going to get overlooked in all this is Will Grier. The former third-round pick is now further down the depth chart than ever before until Teddy Bridgewater is moved on. But even if he is given the opportunity to become the primary backup this offseason, there appears little chance of him fighting for the starting job anytime soon.

Grier wasn’t drafted by the current regime and this was telling in 2020. Matt Rhule opted to go with P.J. Walker more often than not on the active game-day roster last season due to their time working together in college at Temple. So it would be a big surprise if he didn’t continue this trend next season once the situation regarding Bridgewater’s status on the roster becomes resolved.

There were more than a few eyebrows raised when the Carolina Panthers drafted Grier out of West Virginia with a third-round compensatory pick in 2019. He was thrown to the wolves in two stars late in his rookie season and struggled accordingly, with little in the way of activity last time around indicating a coaching staff with no emotional attachment to the player don’t think much about his ability to progress.

There isn’t a harder worker than Grier, who has filmed recently working out with Christian McCaffrey on his road to recovery. However, the arrival of Darnold into the fold all but ends his chances of being considered as a starting option in Carolina.