Panthers Won't Decide on Starting QB Until Wednesday

CHARLOTTE, NC –Will it be Will?

Interim head coach Perry Fewell declined to name a starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers' Week 16 game at Indianapolis, instead saying a decision will be made Wednesday. 

“Over the next two days, we’ll evaluate – continue to evaluate, " Fewell said, "and you’ll know on Wednesday.”

His non-answer creates speculation that rookie Will Grier will make his pro debut on Sunday.

It was a break from the norm, as the starter has been announced each Monday either by former head coach Ron Rivera, who was fired earlier this month, or during Fewell's first full week at his current position. And since Cam Newton went down with a foot injury in Week 2 –and was later placed on injured reserve – it's been clearly communicated that Kyle Allen will take snaps.

But Fewell's pause came less than 24 hours after Carolina lost its sixth straight game. This time it was a 30-24 home defeat to Seattle, the seventh loss in the Panthers' last eight games. 

It also marked the third time this year that Kyle Allen threw at least three interceptions, going 25-of-41 for 277 and a touchdown against the Seahawks. He has 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions during his time as Carolina's starting quarterback while being sacked 45 times, one shy of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray's league-leading total. 

During Carolina's current six-game losing streak, Allen has thrown 11 interceptions and has been sacked 25 times. Those numbers are a far cry from the form he exhibited shortly after being named the starter. 

Allen had a 7-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio while leading Carolina to a four-game win streak. That kind of personnel and team production created speculation – if not demands by some – that Allen be Carolina's quarterback of the future even if Newton returned at full strength.

But he's yet to replicate that success. Allen has thrown at least one interception in seven of eight games since that undefeated run as a starter as Carolina will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.

Carolina drafted Grier out of West Virginia with the 100th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. A native of nearby Davidson, N.C., Grier spent two seasons at the University of Florida before transferring to WVU. While with the Mountaineers, Grier was named the 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year as a junior and a year later led WVU to an 8-3 regular-season record while throwing for 3,864 yards and 37 touchdowns.

But he struggled during his first NFL preseason. Grier went 34-of-61 for 385 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions while admitting to difficulty adjusting to the pro game's pace. 

Fewell said Grier has since spent time as Carolina's scout team quarterback and has shown improvement in various phases of the game. That includes his ability to command the huddle and to make reads on scout team plays that are similar to some in Carolina's playbook.

“He’s progressing as a rookie," Fewell said. "He’s not there yet, but he’s progressing.”