Pro Football Network Ranks Sam Darnold Above Two Others

Not everyone believes Sam Darnold is the worst starter in the league.

Sam Darnold believes he can still be "one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL", but there are very few who believe he still has that ability. In fact, many around the league believe this will be the last season he will be a starter as his contract with the Panthers expires at the end of 2022. 

Many also believe Darnold is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL, but according to Pro Football Network, he's not dead last. In Dalton Miller's quarterback rankings, he has Darnold checking in at No. 30 above Mitchell Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks.

Although Trubisky was a backup a year ago and Lock lost his starting job in Denver to former Panther Teddy Bridgewater, both of them had success earlier in their respective careers. Meanwhile, Darnold has steadily gone in the wrong direction as his QBR has dropped each year since entering the NFL.

As miserable as last year was for Darnold, there is some hope that he may be improved heading into the 2022 campaign. Head coach Matt Rhule talked about how there was a different energy about him and honestly, you could see it when he walked into the press conference room earlier in the week.

"I think I try to come with that mindset every offseason," Darnold responded when asked about having a different energy about him. "I try to have an edge, a certain focus about me. It's not because of a situation or what have you, it's just the mindset you've got to have coming into OTAs and trying to get everything right with the new system and trying to feel out personnel. I'm just trying to feel it out and have a great attitude about it."

Darnold might be slightly better in 2022, but is it going to be good enough to keep him out of that No. 32 spot? Time will tell all.

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