Evaluation of Panthers QB2 Battle Between Will Grier & P.J. Walker

How do the Panthers quarterbacks stack up after their first preseason game?

The Carolina Panthers will start new QB Sam Darnold when week 1 of the NFL season rolls around on September 12th. Darnold will square off against his former team, the New York Jets, in an inter-conference showdown. What is still left to figure out by the Carolina Panthers coaching staff is who will be backing up Darnold. The three preseason games will be plenty enough work for both P.J. Walker and Will Grier to battle it out for that coveted number two spot.

P.J. Walker started the Panthers' first pre-season game at the Indianapolis Colts, showing he is the current leader for the backup role. Walker showed flashes today, completing 10 of 21 passes for 161 yards and a score. Walker's day included a beautiful throw to rookie tight end Tommy Tremble on the run in the back of the endzone. 

The biggest stand-out today for P.J. had to have been his athleticism and ability to extend plays. His ability to take extend plays paid dividends by providing the sole Carolina touchdown as well as a 60-yard connection to rookie wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. For a quarterback who does such an exceptional job of breaking the pocket and extending plays, Walker did not log a single rush this game. I would have liked to have seen P.J. scramble a couple of times, notably, when he had an incompletion in the first half in the endzone that could have been six, had he made the decision to run. When asked about this play, P.J. stepped up to the plate and admitted the mistake.

"I'm going to go back and watch the tape and I know I gotta stop always looking to throw the ball when I break the pocket, that's my bad habit."

Walker has exceptional athletic ability and I would like to see him trust that more going forward. Where Walker truly lacks is his accuracy. It is easy to point out the 47.6% completion percentage. It is worth noting a lot of the passes Walker missed today were high, so could be accounted for in some pregame jitters. Overall, the body of work done by Walker was serviceable, almost one you would expect out of a backup quarterback. 

Will Grier fielded second-half duties in the Panthers' first pre-season matchup. Grier put together a higher completion percentage than Walker by going 6/10 but just mustering up 31 total yards through the air. Grier once again showed something all to familiar to Panther fans during his tenure and that is the inability to truly push the ball downfield. One thing I was surprised with Grier's game today was his matched ability to keep plays alive and not force the issue. We have seen Grier get in trouble in the past by going for throws that are simply too risky. However, today he did a rather solid job of taking what the defense gave him, progressing through reads, and taking off if needed. When asked about the aspects of the game in his postgame presser, Grier stated, "I thought I played well and made good decisions." 

If Grier can work on his downfield game, he can have more of a realistic chance of taking the reigns of the backup quarterback position for the Carolina Panthers. 

Overall, I do not expect the Panthers to make any adjustments to the depth chart at the quarterback position after week 1 of the preseason. I believe Walker will keep his backup position heading into the NFL regular season.