What are some potential best and worst-case scenarios for Sam Darnold during his first season under center with the Carolina Panthers in 2021?
The Carolina Panthers have firmly put their marker down regarding Sam Darnold. Their new quarterback arrived via trade from the New York Jets this offseason and the team’s decision not to draft a signal-caller – namely Justin Fields – at No. 8 overall was the biggest vote of confidence in the former USC star’s potential to turn around his fortunes.
Whether Darnold can do this or not is up for debate. His time at MetLife Stadium was a torrid one, to put it mildly. However, the Panthers are banking the No. 3 overall selection in 2018’s failure in New York was down to the environment and not the talent at his disposal.
Everything is in place for Darnold to shine in Carolina. He has a loaded passing attack, an All-Pro running back alongside him in Christian McCaffrey, and two progressive young coaches guiding him in Matt Rhule and Joe Brady.
This is probably going to be the last chance saloon for Darnold, who got his fifth-year option picked up by the Panthers following the draft. The team is now tied to him for two seasons, but they will not hesitate to go in a different direction if things aren’t playing out as expected.
With this in mind, here are four best and worst-case scenarios where Darnold is concerned in 2021.
Sam Darnold shines behind quality OL
One of the best ways Sam Darnold can succeed with the Carolina Panthers next season is if his offensive line lives up to their end of the bargain. Pass blocking was a real concern last time out beside the standout performances of right tackle Taylor Moton, who is back with the team after the organization placed him under the franchise tag as they try and work out a long-term deal.
Matt Paradis is slotted in as the starting center. But who fills in the other roles is still to be decided.
Brady Christensen is the leading candidate to take over from Pro Bowler Russell Okung at left tackle after the Panthers moved up in the third round to acquire the former BYU standout. John Miller was brought back and could start once again at right guard, with the likes of Dennis Daley, Pat Elflein, Cam Erving, and sixth-rounder Deonte Brown vying for the job at left guard.
If things continue to regress in this area, then it will be nothing sort of a disaster for Darnold. The quarterback is probably low on confidence following his time with the Jets and if he goes through some early jitters, things might turn ugly.
However, if the Panthers get themselves a strong foundation and allow Darnold more of a chance to go through his progressions than he ever had in New York, then it would be a huge surprise to see him fall flat on his face in new surroundings.
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.
Sam Darnold comes through in the clutch
The Carolina Panthers were on the lookout for a new quarterback this offseason due to Teddy Bridgewater’s inability to come up with the goods in key moments. Last year’s marquee free-agent signing went 0-8 on game-winning or tying drives in 2020, which contributed significantly to the team going 5-11 for the second straight season.
Sam Darnold will be expected to do much better. And head coach Matt Rhule has a firm belief that he can despite little in the way of production to back this up over the last three years.
Even if Bridgewater had come through in even half of those moments, it could have resulted in the Panthers securing an unlikely playoff spot in a weak NFC with a 9-7 record in the first year of Rhule’s reign. Having a signal-caller that can get it done with the game on the line separates the good teams from the great, so if Darold can hold his nerve and guide Carolina to a few more wins, bringing him to the organization was the right call to make.
It will be immensely interesting to see if Darnold can raise his game.
The jury is still well and truly out in regards to whether he can reach the ceiling expected of a former No. 3 overall selection. But in terms of finding the right fit, Darnold couldn’t have ended up in a much better situation considering his previous predicament.
Sam Darnold is just not that good
It’s easy to give Sam Darnold a pass from his stint with the New York Jets thanks to the lack of talent around him and a head coach in Adam Gase that was clearly out of his depth. However, the quarterback will not be afforded the same luxury this time around and there is every chance the player might not actually be as good as the Carolina Panthers hoped when they sacrificed three draft picks over the next two years to acquire him.
This would be nothing short of disastrous for their short and long-term objectives. If Darnold doesn’t show enough promises with improved weapons at his disposal, then the Panthers might be looking for their third starting signal-caller in as many years.
That’s not a good look for Matt Rhule, although much of the blame for Teddy Bridgewater’s arrival doesn’t necessarily sit with the head coach. The same cannot be said for Darnold, who the former Baylor man has gone to bat for throughout the offseason and is counting on him to repay this faith with solid production on the field.
Darnold doesn’t have to be that good, in all honesty.
Christian McCaffrey will shoulder a big workload providing he can put the injury problems of 2020 behind him, and there is more than enough talent in the passing game to ensure someone gets an open look on almost every down.
What comes next will ultimately be down to the player. But the ramifications of failure will be severe.