It's Cam Newton & P.J. Walker For Now, but Sam Darnold Could be Returning
Since Sam Darnold landed on injured reserve, the Panthers have been rolling with Cam Newton and P.J. Walker at quarterback. It's not necessarily a two-quarterback system considering most of Walker's reps are coming at the end of half/game due to having more knowledge of the two-minute offense as opposed to Newton who has only been in the building for a few weeks.
Just a few days after being signed by the Panthers, Newton suited up against the Cardinals and scored on each of his first two plays - one rushing TD and a passing TD to Robby Anderson. Walker got the start and handled the majority of the reps in the Panthers' 34-10 win and threw for 167 yards and completed 22/27 passes. Newton has started the last three games for Carolina and all three have resulted in losses. Newton's play has led to some questioning as to whether or not he will remain the starter moving forward. When asked again on Monday, Rhule said the following:
"We planned on playing P.J. in the game. We had a package for him and then also planned on him playing in the two-minute. Obviously, at the end of the half, he threw the interception which was unacceptable. At the end of the game, he threw us down there we weren't able to get in, came back, and made some nice plays to score the touchdown. We'll continue to play both guys. I think Sam is a couple of weeks away from being ready to play. We'll continue to play both guys."
What caught everyone's attention was Rhule's subtle mention of Sam Darnold who has been out for the past month. Although it seems highly unlikely he will take another snap in a Panthers uniform, Rhule didn't necessarily count it out.
"Obviously, it's a possibility. We'll just kind of have to wait and see. All I'm saying now is that he's out right now and that he's not a factor."
Does it make sense to turn back to Darnold? I don't think so. I mean, we've seen enough to know that he is not going to be the future of this franchise, and putting him in any of the final few games would only hurt whatever trade value he has left if any. Then again, playing him could lead to the Panthers securing a higher draft pick but that's another story for another day. Rhule knows he isn't the answer but he does want to find out if Cam Newton has anything left in him. If Carolina opts to go after a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, it would be ideal that the rookie has a veteran (Newton) to sit and learn behind. Should Newton really stink it up over the final four games, then it could lend to the Panthers passing on a quarterback in the draft and pursuing one in the trade market.
Turnovers have plagued Carolina's offense this season, especially in the games they lose. In fact, they have five games where they have turned the ball over three times. When that happens, it's hard to win games. "When you turn it over three times, you have about a 7% chance of winning," Matt Rhule said.
So, could the answer, at least for the remainder of the season, be to go back to what the Panthers did in Arizona?
"Coming out of Arizona, there was some conversation about that," Rhule noted. "I think we wanted to put Cam out there and really see the things he can do. I think he's started the games off really well so far. I mean, he's taken the ball down and scored on the first drive and against Miami, it's the second drive. In the first drive of the second half, we went right down the field and scored. So, it's just kind of the in-between areas, the lulls. We dropped a snap on the second drive of the game that was about to be a good play, it led to a three and out. We dropped the snap on the fumble, I just think it's those detailed things that we have to clean up. In terms of the strategy moving forward this week, obviously, I'm not going to say too much. It's Monday and Buffalo has to prepare for both guys."
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