The Athletic’s Joseph Person answered a bunch of fan questions in a mailbag feature on Friday that focused on the Panthers’ offseason. One of those questions was about the players’ trust in Sam Darnold going into the season and beyond, and the answer isn’t a good look.
Person wrote:
“As far as what players think, McCaffrey and Darnold are friends, and McCaffrey has had nice things to say about him. Other players aren’t as sold on Darnold as the answer. But the only opinions that really count are those of Rhule, (Scott) Fitterer, and (David) Tepper, and they gave every indication that they are ready for an upgrade”
To me, the most interesting thing about what Person wrote was the dynamics with Darnold, Christian McCaffrey and other players. The fact that Carolina is looking for an upgrade is nothing new.
Darnold may be a good guy in the locker room. He may be cool with everybody, cordial and close, but when it comes to performance both things can be true. Darnold and McCaffrey might be friends, but McCaffrey can still think that Darnold is the wrong fit. Other players might not believe Darnold is the right fit, but believe he’s a good guy and teammate. The dynamics aren’t monolithic and are not mutually exclusive.
The only common ground is that there is frustration with losing. That’s the only thing everyone on the team can agree on.
As far as Quarterback is concerned, Darnold is QB1 by default. The Panthers were unable to get a QB in free agency,so unless they draft Malik Willis, they have no alternative, but to roll with Darnold.