Matt Rhule "Feels Good" About the Competition in the QB Room
As we near the start of the 2020 season, position battles will continue to heat up and become more intense as players not only fight for a starting job, but a spot on the 53-man roster. With the NFL electing to cancel preseason games, this puts a big damper on guys who are on the bubble of making the roster as they won't be able to show their worth in a game setting.
Everyone knows that Teddy Bridgewater is going to be the Panthers starting quarterback in 2020 and beyond, but the battle between Will Grier and P.J. Walker for the backup spot will be interesting to see unfold. Grier has played a lot of football and winning football, for that matter. He carries himself the right way and is a student of the game. P.J. Walker, who comes over from the XFL, has terrific work ethic and has a lot of untapped potential. According to Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, the competition appears to be a healthy one.
"Will [Grier] has been here, he's had a chance to play in some football games. I have a lot of confidence in him. P.J. [Walker] is a talented guy that did great things in the XFL. They obviously don't have the knowledge and the grasp of the system that Teddy [Bridgewater] has. I think what you're seeing from both of those guys is really just a commitment to learning the system, getting a little bit more confident every day. We feel really good about that room. We have Teddy who has been a starter, who has won a ton of games. Will who had a lot of production. P.J. is really talented. I think we're really blessed to have that room. We're going to battle it out. No preseason games and it'll come down to each and every day in practice, but I feel good about having that competition."
One of the challenges that comes with not having any preseason games is not having the ability to split up the reps between the quarterbacks as you normally would. With virtually no offseason workouts, everything should be catered to getting the ones ready vs worrying about the twos and threes. But in a year where a virus is constantly spreading, you have to make sure that everyone is ready to go because you just have no idea who will contract it. It makes for a tough situation for the coaching staff to juggle.
"It's going to have to be a lot of offense vs defense. We're going to work two groups - ones and the twos and just kind of split guys from there," Rhule said. "Obviously there are guys who are entrenched and maybe don't need as many reps. There's some other guys that are trying to solidify themselves as bonafide starters and other guys fighting for jobs. We'll have to have a really competitive camp to have a really good team."
With roughly a month left until the Panthers kickoff vs the Las Vegas Raiders, Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady will have to teach the offense at an accelerated rate to be able to get as much in as possible in a short period of time. For as to who will win the backup spot, it'll more than likely come down to which quarterback has a broader understanding of the offense and the verbiage that comes with it. The best bet for the Panthers is to hope Bridgewater, the guy that knows the offense by heart, remains healthy for the entirety of the season.
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