4 reasons Sam Darnold should not be Carolina Panthers QB in 2022

Carolina Panthers coaching staff does not trust Sam Darnold

Despite what we’ve seen and heard from the Carolina Panthers coaching staff in the media over the season, this staff simply does not trust Sam Darnold and the play-calling shows that.

We saw in Week 17 at the New Orleans Saints when Darnold did not attempt a pass over 10 yards and ended the game with 132 passing yards on 17 completions with an average of just seven yards.

Fans have witnessed throughout the season that this offense has been made simple in order to protect Darnold’s flaws and attempt to mask them. Despite this, the former New York Jet still ended the season on 20 total turnovers.

So much was made in the preseason about the arm strength of Darnold and how the Panthers were moving on from the check-downs of Teddy Bridgewater, who ended the 2020 season with 20 total touchdowns and just eight turnovers in 14 games played in comparison.

And yet throughout the campaign, we’ve seen a handful of completed plays from Darnold which showcased this arm talent and one of them was in Week 1 against his former team.

With so much on the line for Matt Rhule in 2022, it seems unlikely that the head coach will continue with Darnold in 2022. However, with some of the strange decisions we’ve seen from him in his two years so far, nothing should come as a shock.