4 Carolina Panthers players who must rebound in 2022

Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB

It would be a significant surprise if the Carolina Panthers didn’t sign or draft another quarterback this offseason. They’ve made their intentions pretty clear on that front and this is down in no small part to Sam Darnold‘s failure to meet the required standard following his trade from the New York Jets.

The initial outlook for Darnold was promising. A 3-0 start and some impressive performances to start the season left many wondering if a change in environment was all the former first-round pick needed, but this was swiftly followed by rash decision-making, poor processing, and suspect footwork behind a terrible offensive line that proved to be his undoing.

Darnold could be on the roster in 2022 after the Panthers opted to pick up his fifth-year option with a fully guaranteed $18.85 million. Although this has the potential to become a factor in any negotiations in the coming weeks, it’s unlikely to stop Carolina from being aggressive to finally get things right at the most important position on the field.

If Darnold is still around and gets the chance to earn a starting job once again, then he needs to eradicate these constant and problematic flaws from his game. The quicker he does this, the better his chances will be – but whether this is something the USC product can accomplish is another matter entirely.

Should the same complications emerge from Darnold’s point of view next season, then Carolina will have no choice other then to cut their losses entirely. Something that will cement the signal-caller as one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory.