What the Carolina Panthers need to see from Sam Darnold at OTAs
By Dean Jones
What do the Carolina Panthers want to see from their new quarterback Sam Darnold during organized team activities later this week?
Although this week is just the start of official offseason workouts, there is a lot riding on it for Sam Darnold. The Carolina Panthers have placed a tremendous amount of confidence in the quarterback after acquiring him via trade from the New York Jets, even though the evidence suggests he might not be able to reach these sorts of expectations.
It will all come down to whether Darnold is good enough now he has plenty of weapons around him and an offensive coordinator Joe Brady who’ll put him in the best position to succeed. These are luxuries that he simply didn’t get at any stage during his time in New York before they ultimately decided to cut their losses in favor of drafting Zach Wilson at No 2 overall.
The ball is in Darnold’s court, so to speak.
And it’s vital he hits the ground running.
Darnold will be scrutinized more than any other player on the Panthers this offseason, which comes with the territory for signal-callers across the league. However, considering what’s at stake for the former USC star, he needs to make a strong first impression on the field during OTAs.
The Teddy Bridgewater era in Carolina was a disaster and ended after just one season. He failed to get the job done in the most critical moments and was traded to the Denver Broncos as a result, so it won’t take long for the natives to get restless if Darnold suffers the same complications during some favorable early games on the 2021 schedule.