Panthers Get Good News on QB Sam Darnold's Injury

Carolina should have their backup back soon.

The moment Buffalo Bills defensive lineman C.J. Brewer landed on Sam Darnold's ankle, everyone assumed the worst. It looked nasty and he was unable to put any pressure on that foot.

The immediate fear was that it could be a long-term injury that would give Carolina a thin quarterback room once again. However, the team doctors told head coach Matt Rhule this week that it should be about 4-6 weeks for him to be back on the field and practicing again.

"We think it's 4-6 [weeks]," said Rhule. "There was a lot of concern that it would be 6-8 [weeks], which is why I couldn't confirm anything on the 4-6 weeks report. I would never lead you guys wrong. They did additional testing and the good news is it didn't have some of the structural issues that maybe can sometimes come with that injury."

If Darnold were to come back on the shorter side of that timeline, that would be Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. A more realistic timeline would probably be the following week when they play host to the Arizona Cardinals. In the meantime, P.J. Walker will serve as the backup quarterback to Baker Mayfield.

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