4 key observations from Panthers 2022 training camp practice Day 1

Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold looking for footwork improvements

Sam Darnold got the work with first-team playmakers over the first day of camp. Not entirely unexpected when one considers Baker Mayfield and Matt Corral are still picking up the playbook after joining the Carolina Panthers this offseason.

It was reportedly a nice day for Darnold overall. There wasn’t much risk-taking involved in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, but efficiency was the order of the day and something that left a positive impression on Day 1.

Putting it together with a red shirt on in practice has never been Darnold’s problem. One only has to look at how well he performed in training camp last year to see that.

Producing the goods in a competitive setting remains a significant complication. Something that Darnold is hoping to avoid by removing one fatal flaw from his game if he does get another unlikely chance to shine.

"“I’m working on my feet. Making sure, ya know, in the chaos of the pocket—making sure they stay quiet. They don’t get chitty chatty. And they don’t get all over the place. Tried to emulate that or simulate that as best we could in training—which, again, is hard to do. But we try to do it in training and schematically-wise, ya know, just watching me and seeing how I process.”"

We heard this from Darnold last summer with little in the way of evidence anything got better. Perhaps the extra competition will help, but it’s hard to say for sure given how things have transpired over the first four years of his professional career.