Re-grading Panthers position groups on offense after the 2021 season
By Noah Bryce
Carolina Panthers QBs
Well, this might have been the grade furthest off the mark on my part.
Things started off so well for Sam Darnold with the Carolina Panthers. Even in their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, the young gunslinger looked good in the first half before the team as a whole collapsed around him.
Some were even calling him the quarterback of the future.
A far cry from how the season ended for the former first-rounder.
When the pressure came, and it came very often, Darnold just crumbled. Bad decisions ranged from horrendous interceptions to checking the ball down too soon to holding onto it for too long. The former New York Jet just couldn’t handle the responsibility, ending the year with more interceptions than touchdowns for the second straight season.
However, when given the time that any quarterback needs to perform, Darnold was an above-average passer, and it’s sad to see the young man’s career go the way it has. We can only sit and imagine what could have been if he had been given a competent offensive line at any point.
Then there is the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed.
Cam Newton.
Newton’s return, much like Darnold’s arrival, started off with great potential only to sputter out in spectacular fashion. The former MVP struggled to make reads and tight throws, his dangerous style no longer paying off the way it used to.
Newton’s running was the only real weapon left in his arsenal to call upon and it was incredibly sad to see him get benched for Darnold late in the year. A season we would all like to forget.
P.J. Walker also struggled during his extremely limited reps, which may be unfair for the Temple product. But there is little confidence outside the organization that he is the answer to the backup issue in Carolina.
- Preseason Grade: B+
- Final Grade: F
This was just one horrible thing after another. Nothing worked, no one was good, the room needs to be completely torn down in the offseason but we know it won’t be after Darnold got his fifth-year option picked up before the season started.
The most important position on the field, and the team keeps getting it wrong.