Despite having Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold, Panthers say they're still looking for QBs
It really doesn't make sense when you think about it. NFL teams preach depth and competition at every position ... except the most important position, by far, in the game.
Teams do not like doubling up at quarterback. They never triple up. Teams will get their presumed starter and stay put, ignoring any other opportunities to add another quarterback. Mostly teams say they don't want a controversy, like that's more important than actually finding a good quarterback.
The Carolina Panthers aren't scared to do things a little differently, or so they say. The Panthers have Teddy Bridgewater. They traded for Sam Darnold.
And, if the opportunity presents itself, coach Matt Rhule says they would pick another quarterback.
Panthers won't rule out QB after Sam Darnold trade
Rhule spoke to the media in a pre-draft news conference, and one thing in particular stood out, via Joseph Person of The Athletic.
Matt Rhule: "At the eighth position, we'll be flexible. We'll look to take the best player available. We'll continue to look at quarterbacks. We'll look at anything and everything."
— Joe Person (@josephperson) April 12, 2021
Rhule's comment that "We'll continue to look at quarterbacks" is interesting. Maybe it's just pre-draft chatter, when teams get creative with their lies. If the Panthers have no interest in a quarterback, saying they would pick one at No. 8 is a good way to perhaps force a team like the Denver Broncos at No. 9 to trade ahead of Carolina. And if Denver took quarterback Trey Lance in the top seven, for example, that would push another non-quarterback down a spot to No. 8.
Then again, maybe Rhule is serious.
Panthers have Teddy Bridgewater too, for now
The Panthers are allowing Bridgewater to seek a trade, and Rhule said, "We'll see how it plays out." Carolina didn't give up a ton in a trade for Darnold, but it was still a reasonable investment and would look a bit unusual if they took someone like Lance at No. 8.
But why not? The team obviously isn't sold on Bridgewater, Darnold has shown pretty much nothing as an NFL quarterback and it's not like Carolina wants to be picking in the top 10 every season. Teams don't have a chance to pick a quarterback prospect like Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones or whoever is available at No. 8 very often.
If the Panthers throw resources at multiple quarterbacks and only one becomes a top-end starter, is that a bad thing? Some teams spend decades looking for a good starting quarterback, and never try any method that hasn't failed multiple times.
At the very least, it seems we can't rule anything out for the Panthers with the eighth pick.
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