7 Carolina Panthers players who could be gone after the 2021 season
By Dean Jones
P.J. Walker – Carolina Panthers QB
There doesn’t appear much hope of P.J. Walker seeing the field in a starting environment for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 unless Sam Darnold goes down with an injury at some stage.
The former XFL star really caught the eye on his full debut last season during a win against the Detroit Lions. He followed this up with a dismal outing when Teddy Bridgewater was benched in their final regular-season game.
Walker acclimatized well to his new surroundings and was active on game day more than Will Grier. However, neither could be considered a realistic proposition to fill the top job long-term and if the Panthers had any faith, they wouldn’t have traded for Darnold in the first place.
What comes next for Walker is unclear. The signal-caller has a close relationship with Matt Rhule, but that hasn’t stopped the head coach from letting players go if he thinks it will benefit the organization.
Even if Walker proves to be a serviceable backup next season, the prospect of Carolina drafting a quarterback in 2022 will be high if Darnold doesn’t start making a better go of things. This might make the Temple product surplus to requirements once his contract expires.
Whichever way it goes with Darnold, Walker might be the sacrificial lamb and it’s hard to envisage a situation where he’s still around this time next year.