Sam Darnold, Robby Anderson reunited under better circumstances in Carolina
Robby Anderson and Sam Darnold never had much of a chance to succeed together with the Jets.
Throughout his tenure in New York — the bulk of which was spent with Darnold as his quarterback — Anderson was not given the opportunity to work as anything more than a one-trick pony deep threat. He also received little help from his fellow wide receivers, allowing opposing defenses to key in on him for the entire game on a weekly basis.
Darnold wasn’t dealt a better hand. Other than Anderson, Jamison Crowder and a rookie Denzel Mims last season, Darnold never had much to work with through the air. New York’s running game was also non-existent with Darnold under center and its offensive line functioned as a turnstile for opposing pass rushers more than any sort of protective measure.
With the Panthers sending three draft picks to the Jets on Monday, Anderson and Darnold have been reunited. This time, they’ll have a legitimate chance to become a dynamic duo under much better circumstances.
Carolina has more weapons on its roster right now than the Jets did in the two years Anderson and Darnold played together in New York. When Darnold lines up under center for the Panthers in September, Christian McCaffery — not a shell of Le’Veon Bell — will flank him in the backfield. Lined up opposite Anderson will be D.J. Moore, who is well on his way to becoming one of football’s top-end wide receivers.
Carolina’s offensive line also has a tendency of keeping its quarterback upright — essentially a foreign concept to Darnold after spending the last three years of his career running for his life at the snap of the ball.
Darnold will also benefit from having a duo of coaches who actually know what they’re doing. Matt Rhule and Joe Brady accomplished more in one season with the Panthers than Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains did in two years in The Big Apple. Rhule is known as a solid in-game coach and Brady is already widely regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL, placing Darnold in the best coaching situation of a young career that’s been through far too many staffs already.
What can Rhule and Brady do for Darnold’s development? Look no further than what they turned Anderson into last season. The Temple product displayed crisp short, intermediate and deep route-running skills throughout his first season with the Panthers, registering the first 1,000-yard season of his career. Anderson looked nothing like the player he did during his time with the Jets in just one season with Carolina and resembled a complete wideout thanks to Rhule and Brady’s tutelage.
There is no guarantee Darnold turns his career around with the Panthers, but he’ll have a better chance of doing so in a new setting than he ever did in his three seasons with the Jets. Having a familiar face in Anderson will only help Darnold as he adjusts to his new surroundings, with the hope being the two can take their chemistry to the next level in 2021.
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