5 Carolina Panthers players facing an uphill battle at training camp

Will Grier – QB

The acquisition of Sam Darnold was not only a damning indictment of what the Carolina Panthers thought of Teddy Bridgewater’s performances in 2020. It also outlined their lack of confidence in Will Grier‘s potential to ever becoming a staring-caliber NFL quarterback.

Whether Darnold makes a go of things away from the New York Jets is going to be the biggest contributing factor behind whatever success comes Carolina’s way in 2021. The Panthers are betting on the player’s upside more than anything else. But it’s a situation that could go either way at this juncture.

Many feel Grier has been hung out to dry by Carolina since they selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The signal-caller was thrown to the wolves as a rookie and a new coaching staff used P.J. Walker as the primary backup more often than not last season.

Grier has clearly been working hard throughout the offseason. But the Panthers roster has no room for passengers and even though the West Virginia product seems a lock to make the team, whether he’ll be able to surpass Walker on the depth chart is another matter entirely.

One thing Grier has going for him is the return of preseason games.

This should give Grier some invaluable reps under center. How he performs will go a long way to determining just what role the signal-caller will have during the 2021 season.