Which available veteran QB fits the Panthers best?
When the Carolina Panthers made their leap for quarterback Matt Corral last Friday night, they landed on a save point. They’re relatively content with where they are, but there’s still a little game left to be played.
Although undeniably talented and a breath of fresh air for the fan base, the Ole Miss star is far from being Carolina’s answer under center—at least right now. There are a few reasons why he lasted into the backend of the third round, and one of them isn’t because he’s ready to take a five-win team to the playoffs this season.
The Panthers, even with Corral and Sam Darnold in hand, will still be perusing the market. Whether it be by a trade or through free agency, general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule seem intent on adding even more competition and, perhaps, more of a viable presence to their quarterback room.
So if they are indeed on the hunt for a veteran passer, here are their best options, ranked.
Dark horses
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Gardner Minshew: Whether it’s his ceiling or just a temporary status, “competent backup” feels like the sweet spot for this cult favorite right now. So would the Philadelphia Eagles be willing to part with that for a reasonable price?
Colin Kaepernick: Kaepernick would be an intriguing add, to say the least. Unfortunately, he’s persona non grata in what’s quite clearly an insincere and largely archaic ownership block atop league.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: Wait, he’s still active?
AP Photo/Aaron Gash
If Mayfield were to be the third straight retread project for Carolina, he’d easily be the most interesting of the trio. Unlike Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold, the former first overall selection carries some balance in his game—as he possesses a bit of untapped upside and won’t completely torpedo your offense in the process of trying to reach it.
But, that’s about it. Although Mayfield is at his best in a heavy run-pass option (RPO) attack—something Ben McAdoo will implement—he didn’t exactly tickle the offensive coordinator’s fancies as a prospect back in 2018.
He hasn’t warmed himself up to his teammates either, as Mayfield reportedly lost support in the Cleveland Browns locker room amidst the departure of wideout Odell Beckham Jr. this past season. Plus, something tells us he wouldn’t be the most welcomed of additions in the Panthers locker room.
As the cherry on top—how available is he? Even though the Browns obviously want to move on from Mayfield following their acquisition of Deshaun Watson, their asking price may be driving potential suitors away.
Will Carolina, however, still be interested enough to wait out a possible release and try to make the 27-year-old worth the No. 1 pick he was taken with?
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
As much as the Carolina faithful may not want to hear it, Garoppolo fits what head coach Matt Rhule looks for in a quarterback. He goes with the flow—aiming for quick reads, not trying to do too much and letting the talent around him do the heavy lifting.
Is that, though, really what should be desired at the position? Because the team that currently has him doesn’t seem too keen on that idea anymore.
For all the “good” Jimmy G can bring—the rave reviews as a teammate, the knowledge of the surgical offenses he’s played in prior and all those sweet marketing opportunities for fast-food Italian meats—there’s not much that’s appealing from a performance standpoint.
He’s largely a guy who lives on designed short to intermediate throws and needs his skill players to do much of the heavy lifting. Oh, and he’s coming off shoulder surgery on an arm that hasn’t been all too impressive anyway.
Garoppolo’s got a lot working for him. But how well would he work for the Panthers given his low ceiling and the risk of trading for and absorbing that contract?
[pickup_prop id=”20746″>
2. Nick Foles
AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
This 33-year-old, obviously, isn’t the best long-term option. But he isn’t the worst short-term one either.
Foles, who was just granted his release from the Chicago Bears, will try to enter his 11th NFL campaign as a legitimate threat to start under center somewhere. And that somewhere, given the open competition, could be Carolina.
Along with being able to provide the stability Fitterer has publicly preached about, Foles is quite adept to playing that RPO approach. In fact, he’s awfully good at it—having already excelled under Doug Pederson’s West Coast-style offense in Philly.
What also puts Foles here is his potential price tag—which’ll be far cheaper than that of Garoppolo’s and Mayfield’s. The chances that any of these three are answers beyond 2022 are pretty low, so why try to finagle a $24.2 million or $18.8 million salary into your books while losing a draft pick or two in the process?
1. Cam Newton
AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
Yeah, yeah . . . you’re probably thinking, “Of course, he’s got Cam at No. 1.” Well, to be fair, he does remain the best fit available.
For one, he already has familiarity with how this Panthers team, even the one under the Rhule regime, is run. He has some built-in chemistry with the players on offense, he’s endeared himself as a leader in the locker room and he’s an all-time franchise favorite that’ll keep the fans plugged in.
Even what isn’t familiar in a potential relationship with McAdoo shouldn’t be a schematic issue. The current version of Newton—who is still an elite rushing threat—would not only work just fine in RPO looks (obviously) behind what is a drastically improved offensive line from a year ago, but he’d likely keep this Carolina squad competitive enough to make some noise. (Did you see the barebones Patriots roster that he helped push to seven wins in 2020?)
Additionally, who better to show Corral the ropes than the greatest player—let alone greatest quarterback—in the history of the organization? Cam has consistently embraced mentorship roles—whether it was during his first stop in Carolina, his detour to New England or his trip back to Charlotte.
But, even though this would be the role Fitterer and Rhule have likely had in mind for Newton, would he be open to a return? It takes two to tango and Cam might’ve busted out his final dance move for the Panthers following a sour close to 2021.
[listicle id=653190]
1
1
