3 reasons the Carolina Panthers might not go back for Deshaun Watson

Carolina Panthers believe in Sam Darnold

First off, the talent differential between Sam Darnold and Deshaun Watson cannot be understated.

But the Carolina Panthers didn’t bring in the quarterback from the New York Jets just to give up on him without playing a competitive snap, one would suspect.

For good or bad, the Panthers feel like they can fix Darnold. Some senior figures within the organization loved the player coming out of USC and believe in his abilities despite a less than stellar start to his NFL career at MetLife Stadium.

The only problems that could emerge where Darnold is concerned are on the field. Something that cannot be said of Watson until his legal matters come to a conclusion.

Carolina picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option, which further indicates their faith in the signal-caller. He’ll need to hit the ground running at the start of the campaign to avoid complications down the road, but the jury is still well and truly out as to whether he can make more use of a big-time upgrade in weapons at his disposal.

Hitching their wagon to Darnold might not have happened in the first place had Watson’s situation not taken a turn for the worse just when the Panthers were about to go for broke. But they would be wise to contemplate moving forward with their current hand rather than risking it all.