Sam Darnold just had his best Panthers practice. Here’s why it matters and what we saw
There will be a lot of pressure on Sam Darnold to perform this season as he enters what will likely be his final year with the Panthers.
The fifth-year quarterback is coming off arguably the worst season of his short career, and this might be one of his final chances to prove he’s a starting quarterback in the NFL.
His coaches have said they like his preparation this year, adding that he has a new focus. Wide receiver DJ Moore said Darnold has “been more calm” under duress in practice.
“He came in camp with his head down in practice, and it’s worked out pretty good so far,” Moore said.
And at Wednesday’s practice, the final week of voluntary OTAs, Darnold showed some positive signs. The Panthers primarily ran 11-on-11 drills and focused on their two-minute offense.
Darnold made a number of nice throws, including a 65-yard pass to Terrace Marshall, who beat cornerback Donte Jackson on a double move, and an over-the-shoulder pass to Moore for 20 yards.
“I thought Sam was outstanding today,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “I thought it was Sam’s best practice probably since he’s been here.”
It is only OTAs and things will ramp up in training camp. Defensive linemen are not allowed to tackle the quarterback during OTAs, and he wasn’t facing much pressure, but defenders can touch the quarterback for a “sack.”
Rhule said he felt Darnold has improved this offseason.
“He’s throwing on time,” Rhule said. “The biggest thing I want from Sam, I don’t want the catastrophic play. I don’t want the three-interception games. It’ll happen every once in a while, but it can’t happen routinely.”
Darnold finished with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 games in 2021. The Panthers tried to trade for Deshaun Watson earlier this offseason and had discussions with the Browns for a trade for Baker Mayfield during the draft. They also drafted rookie quarterback Matt Corral in the third round.
The Panthers need this version of Darnold they’ve seen in OTAs if he’ll be the quarterback in Week 1.
Darnold is owed $18.9 million this season after the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on his contract last season.
As far as pursuing a veteran quarterback, Rhule said the Panthers are still keeping their options open at all positions, including at quarterback.
“I think as we finish minicamp, (General Manager) Scott (Fitterer) and I will talk,” Rhule said. “We’ll look at where do we need to bring some more help in.”
Panthers notes from practice
▪ It wasn’t the defense’s best day Tuesday. The offense was dominant for most of 11-on-11 drills. Cornerback Jaycee Horn did intercept a pass from backup quarterback P.J. Walker.
▪ Marshall had a big day, too, including the long touchdown pass he caught from Darnold against Donte Jackson. He had at least three steps on Jackson after beating him on a double move.
Rhule pointed to Marshall’s preparation and said he’s healthy this offseason. Rhule said Marshall comes in every day at 5:30 a.m. to prepare.
Last year, Marshall was still recovering from some college injuries and was brought on slow in OTAs. Marshall had only 17 catches for 138 yards last season.
As the Panthers look for improvement at wide receiver outside of Moore, Marshall could emerge as the No. 2 receiver.
▪ When asked about re-signing with the Panthers, Moore said he was excited.
“Charlotte is where I want to be,” he said. “I’m just glad we got a deal done before all the craziness.”
▪ Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was at practice. It was his first time at practice in a while. After retiring from the Panthers in 2020, he joined the Panthers as a scout, but resigned after the 2020 season.
Defensive tackle Kawann Short attended a practice last week.
▪ Rookie quarterback Matt Corral was back at practice after missing a few days because of a personal matter. He also played well in the two-minute drill, hitting his receivers on time.
He didn’t throw many deep passes. One of Corral’s biggest assets is his legs and ability to throw on the run. He scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 drills.
▪ The Panthers re-signed Keith Kirkwood, who was a free agent this offseason. In a corresponding move, the Panthers released undrafted rookie wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones.
Kirkwood, who played under Rhule at Temple, has been with Carolina for the past two seasons. During training camp last year, he was hit in the neck area and sent to the hospital by former safety JT Ibe. He returned later, but played in only three games and had three receptions for 17 yards.
He spent most of the season on the practice squad.
▪ Linebacker Shaq Thompson was absent from practice for the first time.
▪ This is the final week of OTAs. Mandatory minicamp will be June 14-16.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 1:50 PM.
