Carolina Panthers designate quarterback Sam Darnold to return from injured reserve
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a shoulder blade injury last month.
The Panthers designated Darnold to return from injured reserve, but have not added him to the 53-man roster. They have 21 days to do that.
Darnold did not throw any passes during the portion of practice open to the media.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday that Darnold is just throwing at this point and cannot take contact.
Rhule said Monday that Darnold was about one to two weeks away from returning to play.
“He’s just throwing out there and doing some drills,” Rhule said Wednesday.
Darnold suffered an incomplete fracture to his right shoulder blade in the Panthers’ Week 8 game against the Falcons. He was placed on IR on Nov. 10.
Since then, the Panthers signed quarterback Cam Newton, who has started the past three games, and added Matt Barkley to the practice squad.
When asked Monday whether Darnold could play when he returns, Rhule didn’t rule it out. He said it was a possibility.
“No idea,” Rhule said Wednesday when asked under what circumstance would Darnold play. “I don’t even know if he’ll be back. I’m just kind of waiting to see if the doctors will clear him. ... That’s so far down the line in terms of getting clear. So much will happen between now and then.”
That Rhule would consider playing Darnold would be somewhat of a surprise. The Panthers signed Newton to a $6 million deal. And Darnold struggled in Weeks 4-9, turning the ball over 11 times. He was playing some of the worst football of his career and the Panthers went 1-5 over that stretch.
But he’s owed $18.8 million next season, and the Panthers have shown little improvement with the passing game in his absence. They are 1-3 in the games he has missed.
The Panthers have used both Newton and quarterback P.J. Walker during those games, and will likely continue that down the stretch as Newton continues to learn the two-minute offense.
“Our plan is our plan,” Rhule said. “Cam’s gotta — he had good drives. Moved the ball down the field. He put two balls on the ground. ... I think looking ahead, Cam continues to work and learn, but our quarterback can’t have two turnovers in two straight games. We’re not going to win that way. So we have to protect the football better and go from there.”
Rhule added that he didn’t want to play two quarterbacks, but said, “It’s the situation that we’re in.”
In nine games this season, Darnold has thrown for seven touchdowns, 11 interceptions and has fumbled once. He’s also completing 59.5% of his passes.
Darnold wasn’t the only player designated to return. The Panthers also activated second-year cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver, one of the team’s better special teams players.
He has missed time with a toe injury.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 12:15 PM.
