The Panthers quarterback debate isn’t worth it. Just show us.
When trading a 4-11 quarterback who admits he played poorly for a 2-10 QB with the worst team in football, everyone just needs to keep quiet and show us this season who was right and wrong.
The Panthers would not re-sign Cam Newton after two seasons of injuries, and the way No. 1 performed for the Patriots in 2020 indicates that was the right move. But signing Teddy Bridgewater was no upgrade, and next season will determine more about that.
With COVID cutting down preseason practice and cancelling all exhibition games, Newton had precious little time to learn the New England offense and after a fast start his positive tests and negative performance led the Pats to their worst season in more than 20 years.
But Bridgewater was no upgrade after being Drew Brees’ backup in New Orleans, as the NFL’s 25th best QB in the red zone, where he hit only 58 percent of his passes for a bad rating of 47.1. He was traded to Denver before the draft and left criticizing the Panthers first-year head coach and offensive coordinator out the door.
Whether Carolina owner David Tepper and new head coach Matt Rhule think they have improved the position by trading for Sam Darnold is a bigger gamble than keeping Bridgewater for another year or trading up in the draft. The Jets lost 10 of the 12 games started by Darnold, who finished 33rd in the red zone with an awful QB rating of 10.
The Panthers tried to trade Bridgewater and the No. 8 pick in the draft to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, who instead wound up with the Rams. Bridgewater criticized how the Cats practiced red zone offense and pointed out that MVP candidate Christian McCaffery missed most of the season with an injury. Let’s see how he does with the Broncos.
Trading for Darnold is taking a huge chance. He is reminiscent of another former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez who faded from the league after two AFC championship losses as a rookie and sophomore with a far better Jets team than the current Green and White.
Rhule has a long-term contract, but came to Carolina from Baylor with little NFL experience. Tepper’s an impatient billionaire for whom money is no issue, so if the Panthers aren’t markedly improved from the 5-11 record last season, the clock will start running on him.
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