Carolina Panthers final 53-man roster projection for 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers QBs (3)
- Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Will Grier.
There are some doubts as to whether the Carolina Panthers will take two or three quarterbacks onto their roster. But with COVID-19 concerns rising despite vaccination status, it would be beneficial for the organization to err on the side of caution heading into the season.
Sam Darnold is the new QB1 in Carolina following his offseason trade from the New York Jets. The former first-round pick has done well overall throughout training camp, with his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the team’s preseason finale also left reasons to be encouraged.
The USC product won’t get a better chance to prove he can lead an NFL franchise to prominence. Whether Darnold can make the most of it or not will shape the Panthers 2021 season.
Just who’s going to back up Darnold remains unclear.
Both Will Grier and P.J. Walker have flashes during the preparation period. So the coaching staff might decide to implement a similar week-to-week strategy they deployed to determine the primary backup once again.
It all rests on Darnold. There’s no getting away from that.
Carolina bet big he is the man to turn them from also-rans into contenders. Even if there isn’t much evidence to suggest the No. 3 overall selection in 2018 is capable of reaching such heights.
Strap yourselves in, Panthers fans. Because there is no way to determine just how things are going to pan out at this stage.