4 best and worst-case scenarios for Panthers QB Sam Darnold in 2021
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold doesn’t regain confidence
Confidence is everything in a quarterback. The NFL is littered with talented players throughout history that got off to a poor start during their careers and simply couldn’t turn things around.
Opposing defenses watch plenty of film. So they know if a signal-caller is going through these issues or not.
The Carolina Panthers saw this first-hand with Teddy Bridgewater in 2020, who steadily regressed down the stretch to the point where his normally calm demeanor was replaced by a flustered figure under center that was mercifully benched during their final regular-season outing against the New Orleans Saints.
One thing is for sure, Sam Darnold cannot see ghosts in Carolina.
He needs to get off on the front foot, lean on his top playmakers during his initial transition and gradually build up his confidence to a level that might see him become a real difference-maker for a team that lost eight games by one score in 2020.
It’s not going to take long to find out just how many of the problems in New York were down to Darnold. This is a roster absolutely stacked with weapons that were only aided further in the 2021 NFL Draft as the Panthers brought Terrace Marshall Jr., Shi Smith, Tommy Tremble, and Chuba Hubbard to the organization at various stages.
Expecting miracles too early would be unrealistic. But the Panthers placed a lot of faith in Darnold to get them a lot closer to postseason contention and if his confidence is past the point of no return, it’s going to be a real problem.