Three years ago, the New York Jets traded QB Teddy Bridgewater and a sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for a third-round pick, just months after drafting Sam Darnold to be their QB1.
Today, the Carolina Panthers traded QB Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick, just months after trading for Sam Darnold to be their QB1.
Matt Rhule and the Panthers hope the déjà vu ends there.
In 2018, the rookie Darnold went on to start 13 games, totaling 2865 yards and a 17:15 TD/INT ratio. Combined with his 57.7% completion percentage, that was enough to give him a 45.9 QBR, landing him 29th in the league in that category. The following two seasons weren’t much better, either, as Darnold improved to 26th in 2019 only to fall down to 33rd in 2020. There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
Fortunately, the Panthers have reason to believe the fourth time’s the charm. Darnold will be surrounded by his best weapons of his career, benefitting from a healthy Christian McCaffrey and versatile receivers in D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and the newly-acquired David Moore.
The NFL Draft, which starts tomorrow, should bring even more help to Darnold, with Scott Fitterer expected to bolster the offensive line, add another wide receiver and maybe even pick another quarterback at some point.
[vertical-gallery id=635916]