Why Sam Darnold might be a work in progress for the Panthers in 2021
By Dean Jones
Newly acquired quarterback Sam Darnold might be a work in progress during his first full season with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Sam Darnold clearly has a lot on his plate in 2021. The Carolina Panthers have now officially hitched their wagon to the quarterback after acquiring him via trade from the New York Jets, a move that resulted in previous starter Teddy Bridgewater being shipped to the Denver Broncos prior to the NFL Draft.
It’s clear Bridgewater wasn’t the right fit and the Panther deserve credit for realizing this rather than going with the player once again next season.
Whether Darnold will be able to make the most out of the big opportunity in front of him remains to be seen. But this is a far better situation to be walking into than he ever got to experience at MetLife Stadium.
Carolina is gambling their short-term future on Darnold finally reaching his promise.
But expecting miracles right away might be unrealistic.
Darnold’s confidence is bound to need some building up after a torrid three years in the NFL so far. He was thrown to the wolves by head coach Adam Gase and given almost no help with either weapons or scheme fit before the organization decided to go in a completely different direction with Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall in the draft.
This is a good landing spot for Darnold.
There is a wealth of talent on offense that should all make plays for him if the offensive line holds out, with the signal-caller also set to benefit from two progressive young coaches steering him on the right path in Matt Rhule and Joe Brady.
That being said, Darnold might be a work in progress for Carolina in 2021, at least from the outside looking in.