4 Panthers players on offense under pressure to perform in 2021
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB
No matter how much talent has been accumulated by the Carolina Panthers this offseason, it will count for nothing if Sam Darnold cannot live up to his end of the bargain. His trade from the New York Jets is one of the team’s biggest question marks heading into 2021 and there will be no more excuses where the quarterback is concerned thanks to the weapons around him.
Only time will tell as to whether Darnold was a product of his environment in New York or not.
And it won’t take that long to find out.
The Panthers picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option and spurned the chance to select Ohio State prospect Justin Fields at No. 8 overall. Two big votes of confidence in their new signal-caller doing a better job in key moments than Teddy Bridgewater managed in 2020.
There isn’t much evidence to suggest this is possible.
Darnold’s decision-making was erratic at best with the Jets. Although he has a cannon for an arm, utilizing it in the right way has been a difficult task for the USC product during his career so far.
Everything seems to be in place for Darnold, providing the protection holds up long enough. If he doesn’t rise to the occasion then Carolina would be on the lookout for their third starting quarterback in as many seasons under Matt Rhule, which is not a good look at all.