On Friday afternoon, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer didn’t have the greatest of words to offer in regards to Sam Darnold. ESPN’s Dan Orlovksy, however, did.
When discussing the team’s possible options under center on NFL Live, the former 12-year NFL quarterback didn’t seem convinced their best one isn’t already on the roster. Orlovsky implied that Darnold—despite four particularly disappointing years—is more talented than any other passer coming out of the 2022 NFL draft.
Dan Orlovsky on the Panthers’ QB situation. Says “I’m not going to reach for a QB just to take a QB because we’re not ecstatic about the guy that we have. pic.twitter.com/AM79cRq1tZ
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) March 26, 2022
Although his logic is sound in the draft approach itself—as reaching for a quarterback with the sixth overall pick this year is quite a gamble—his sentiment on Darnold doesn’t hold much weight. Sure, he’s talented—the arm, the feet, the athleticism. But when have we seen it all come together on a consistent basis?
Well, we haven’t. What we have seen, though, are the same lingering issues Darnold broke into the league with—the frantic processing, the jumpy footwork, the constant troubles with ball security.
Whether you agree with Orlovsky, and we’re not sure if we can find any takers on that, one thing is for sure—the Panthers are trying to upgrade from Darnold as soon as they can.
