Why this Panthers quarterback is the favorite to be Teddy Bridgewater’s backup — for now
By Saturday at 4 p.m., all 32 NFL rosters have to be down to 53 players. The Panthers’ roster currently stands at 79. There will be some tough decisions to make, but with the practice squad increasing to 16 players this season, there will be more opportunities for a number of players.
We’re going to tackle an interesting question arising from camp with the roster deadline just a day away. Teddy Bridgewater is certainly going to be the starter. But what about the backup. Is Will Grier going to win this backup quarterback job or will P.J. Walker?
The Observer’s Alaina Getzenberg and Jonathan M. Alexander offer their insight:
Alexander: Alaina, I feel like you know where I stand on this.
As much as I want to say Will Grier, because I think he’s been the better of the two in the two weeks of practice I’ve seen, I would not be surprised if it was Walker. Panthers coach Matt Rhule surprised me when, two weeks ago, he said that Walker was initially ahead of Grier, but Grier recently caught up.
That would seem to indicate that he’s doing something elsewhere that has impressed his coaches. I think both players have experienced growing pains and have made their mistakes with interceptions.
But I think Grier has been a tad bit more accurate, especially with the deep ball.
Walker has thrown a couple of nice ones, too. But I think Grier is also a little bit better of a runner than Walker. In camp we saw some run-pass option plays with Grier, and he picked up some nice yardage on the ground, albeit players aren’t allowed to tackle him.
Some players like Donte Jackson told me that they feel Grier has become more of a leader. Grier has NFL experience, although it definitely wasn’t a good experience. But experience is experience.
While I believe Grier has been the better of the two, the margin is super slim. Rhule could decide to go with Walker because of their familiarity together.
Getzenberg: To be honest, I’ve gone back-and-forth on it a bit, but I do agree that Grier has been more impressive to me overall from what we have been allowed to watch. I do think part of that comes from the general improvement the second-year quarterback has shown from two less-than-stellar starts in his rookie season, which included being the backup to Kyle Allen and ended in injury. Grier got in a groove at times during practice.
Walker to me hasn’t had quite the same consistency. There were some throws that were just off that I remember quite distinctly. What offensive coordinator Joe Brady could do with Walker and the possibilities it could open up for the offense are also interesting to me.
Each of the quarterbacks have had their days, and I completely agree with you that they have their mistakes as well (there were a few too many turnovers in general during camp).
If I was making the call, I would go with Grier as the No. 2 for now. I like the idea of switching between the two as the season progresses, as Rhule suggested was a possibility. I think that with Walker’s experience mostly restricted to the practice squad and the XFL, and Grier entering his second year, they both still have a lot of room to grow.
Alexander: Rhule was pretty mum about whether he’d keep two or three quarterbacks, saying other teams might read this, and other stories. However, he did add that he believes both could win if they were called on. I think the term he used to describe them was “win-with quarterbacks.”
I don’t know if I’m ready to say that. That might be a tactic to boost their confidence. Not saying that they wouldn’t win, but I need to see it first.
What do you think about that and should they keep three?
Getzenberg: I think that they should keep all three. I’m not sure there’s a compelling argument not to, unless they are in an absolute bind with a roster spot. This whole offseason we have been hearing about how the team wants to have as many players as possible comfortable with what they are trying to run and up to speed due to the unknowns related to COVID-19. Having two backups at the most important position on the football field just makes sense, especially three who have been working in this offense, physically or virtually, for months.
The Panthers used a third-round pick on Grier just a year ago. That would be a tough pill to swallow.
I will be surprised if it’s not three on the roster, especially with the back-and-forth nature of the competition throughout the past month.
Alexander: I almost feel like you’ve got to keep three, especially considering COVID-19 could force a player to sit or quarantine a couple of weeks. Rhule seems to have a lot of confidence in these quarterbacks, and if you cut one, you run the risk of losing one for good if another teams claims one of them off waivers. Rhule has said there was a lot of interest in Walker before they picked him up.
We also haven’t seen Grier’s full potential even though he played in two games during his rookie season. Another team may want to take a chance. But how many quarterbacks the Panthers will keep is unknown for now.
Getzenberg: That’s right, making sure no other teams are able to get an advantage is a priority. Top-notch secrets here.
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This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
