Yesterday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky brought up the growing quarterback conundrum for the Carolina Panthers—questioning whether the team even has any better options than Sam Darnold currently available to them. Apparently, he’s not alone in that belief.
His colleague Damien Woody agrees. Similarly to Orlovsky, the former offensive guard doesn’t think any of the prospects in the upcoming NFL draft could give Carolina a better chance at winning in 2022 than the man they have now.
Damien Woody “there’s not a rookie (QB) in this class that’s going to be better than Sam Darnold from Day 1” pic.twitter.com/2Ygh9Qbnbr
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) March 26, 2022
This, undoubtedly, is a legitimate argument to make.
Malik Willis, in the most extreme case, has sky-high potential at the position—more than any of his fellow soon-to-be draftees—and may ultimately be the grand prize of the entire class. It’s also likely, however, that Willis—just as Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder—will not be as equipped to lead the Panthers as the fifth-year veteran in Darnold would be.
And therein, unfortunately, lies the larger issue. Will head coach Matt Rhule, who has final say on all roster moves, make a decision that’s better for his job security in the short term or one that’s better for the franchise in the long term?
A Darnold, a Jimmy Garoppolo or even a Cam Newton would probably give you a better chance at winning this season than one of the aforementioned rookies would. But is passing up on everything Willis can be (if he’s even there for the Panthers to pick) really the wisest path to veer away from?
As Woody alludes to, this organization really has pigeonholed itself—at quarterback and for its future. We’ll soon find out if Rhule, general manager Scott Fitterer and owner David Tepper are all on the same page for the now or for the greater good.
