Panthers Prep Grier for Pro Debut

Will Grier will make his NFL debut on Sunday in Indianapolis -- we just don't know in what capacity.

Carolina Panthers (5-9) interim head coach Perry Fewell confirmed what was suspected on Wednesday when he said rookie Will Grier will play quarterback Sunday at Indianapolis (1 PM, FOX, Colts -7). At some point, he'll take over for Kyle Allen, who has manned the position since Week 3 following a season-ending injury to Cam Newton.

Yet, Fewell has yet to name who will start, instead saying he'll make a final decision after Thursday's practice. In the meantime, he said Grier will take first-team snaps in practice.

"It’s a goal to get Will some playing time," Fewell said. 

Fewell said Week 15 was circled weeks ago for Grier to make his pro debut. And he explained that the decision was going to happen regardless of how Allen performed over the past few games.

“We evaluated it two weeks ago and this was a target game in mind," Fewell said. "Didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on him, but we said we’d try to get him ready for the Indy week to play. Didn’t know if he’d start or not, but we’d get him some reps with the (first team) so he’d have timing, voice command, see how he handled the huddle and see how he executed plays.”

Still the timing raises eyebrows.

Last week's 30-24 loss to Seattle marked the third time this year that 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 winning five of his first six starts and 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. His two-year career with WVU produced 7,354 passing yards and 71 touchdowns with 20 interceptions.

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.

Wednesday, however, was Grier's initial day to take first-team snaps as a professional.

“He looked good," Fewell said. "He had command, he made good decisions and it looked like he had fun.”

Whether he starts or not will put a wrinkle into Indianapolis' (6-8) preparation as it tries to end a four-game losing streak. 

“We’ll certainly dig hard into the preseason, and maybe even a little bit back into college," Colts coach Frank Reich said during a conference call Wednesday. "It’s a two-fold thing: You’re looking for information on him, and just the way he plays, the kinds of throws that he makes, and his best kind of throws. But also it’s really – the flip side to that is it’s just more about the system. They’re not really going to change the system. It’s late in the year, their system is what it is. So, we’ll prepare against the system as well.”