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Can QB Sam Darnold do what it takes to lead the Carolina Panthers into the future?
When QB Sam Darnold was traded from the New York Jets to the Carolina Panthers in the offseason, the Panthers were hoping Sam Darnold could build off of Teddy Bridgewater's success in 2020. We've only seen Sam Darnold throw two passes through two NFL preseason games, but he'll get in his reps in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a full half of play. We should get a clearer answer to the question of if Sam Darnold is ready to lead this team to success. Based on his training camp, he's shown better confidence in his decision-making and in protecting the football, which caught the attention of head coach Matt Rhule. His footwork has greatly improved and it appears he's showing more leadership. We won't get a better look at that until the preseason finale and Week 1, but his teammates seem excited to have Darnold under center.
The Carolina Panthers have quite the weapons surrounding Sam Darnold that he never had before. Teddy Bridgewater didn't have RB Christian McCaffrey last year, but Darnold gets the top-5 RB and should lean on him to establish momentum and balance on the offense. That's something the New York Jets didn't have and it placed a ton of pressure on Sam Darnold. CMC also fills the role of a check-down target for Darnold.
TE Dan Arnold is building an impressive connection with his QB and is playing with a new-found level of excitement. He could become a favorite target for Sam Darnold when under distress. There's also WR DJ Moore, who has two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Robby Anderson, a former teammate of Darnold's with the Jets, sees a different, better player in Darnold after leaving a toxic environment that tainted his career. Anderson had over 100 catches for 1,400+ yards and 11 TDs over two seasons with Darnold at QB. Expect him to target Robby Anderson often. There is also rookies RB Chuba Hubbard and WR Terrance Marshall Jr., who are both looking good in camp, and TMJ is getting rave reviews and comparisons to former All-Pro Panthers WR Mushin Muhammad.
Everything is lined up for Sam Darnold to be Comeback Player of the Year in 2021: the playmakers on offense, the coaches, and the new environment and situation. The only thing left is for the QB himself to make the most out of his opportunity. Again, we've seen little of him in the NFL preseason, which could be to keep him healthy or maybe keep him away from other teams seeing him before the games that matter.
2021 could still have growing pains as he's still regaining his confidence and learning a new offense. Carolina fans need to calm down before hearing this, but Carolina doesn't need to make the playoffs this year for Sam Darnold to show he can be a legit starter for this team. He just needs to be efficient (at least 65%) and have a career-best on his stat sheet: 3,500+ passing yards, 25+ TDs, no more than 10 INTs, and 250+ yards per game with confidence to take risks downfield. These stats could lead to Sam Darnold showing evolution and growth, which is what the Panthers want. The playoffs would be expected in 2022 and Sam Darnold could become a top-10 by 2022/2023 and the NFC South could be in a power shift by then. Tom Brady and Matt Ryan are nearing the end of their careers and the New Orleans Saints seem to be heading towards a reboot. It could just be "right time, right team" for Sam Darnold.
