5 critical observations from Sam Darnold’s 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold’s footwork is a major flaw
Sam Darnold made no secret of his desire to improve on footwork in the pocket during the offseason. The signs were encouraging in training camp, although limited action in the preseason meant there was no way to tell just how much progress had taken place before competitive action began.
As it turned out, maneuvering quickly with minimal fuss remains a problem for Darnold. He was able to scramble for some nice gains and five rushing touchdowns during the season, but evading pressure behind a porous offensive line was a constant thorn in the team’s side.
Granted, not many quarterbacks would be successful in front of such torrid protection. And if this was Darnold’s first time showing shoddy footwork, he might have gotten a pass of sorts.
But much like his inability to process to a level normally associated with an NFL starting signal-caller, this has been a consistent factor behind his failings in the pros.
Sean Ryan has his work cut out this offseason based on what we’ve seen so far. The Carolina Panthers were banking on the player making the right adjustments in a smooth fashion to propel this organization back into postseason contention, but the simple fact of the matter is he might not be capable of even the little things.
And that is a major flaw.