Sam Darnold on Robby Anderson Missing OTAs

Panthers' starting quarterback Sam Darnold had this to say about his current and former teammate.

OTAs are in full swing and there has been one notable player absent thus far. Wide receiver Robby Anderson has been in Florida while the rest of the offense is busy getting reps in with new starting quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold doesn't seem fazed by his former Jets teammate missing the voluntary offseason program.

Darnold had this to say when asked about Anderson on Wednesday afternoon:

"We know Robby is going to be ready whenever he comes. That's who he is."

This pretty much mirrored what head coach Matt Rhule had to say when answering similar questions on Wednesday morning. 

What was surprising was Darnold's comments about OTAs in general. Rhule had said previously that the offseason was just getting started and that these practices are not meant to be too competitive. Darnold disagreed. He was adamant about the importance of every rep even though we are only in June. 

"Right now, especially being in a new system, every practice is the most important thing."

Darnold has shown great maturity this offseason and seems poised to take on a leadership role. He is the starting quarterback of the team and is taking every snap seriously in order to get on the same page with his new teammates. 

Robby Anderson has the advantage of having played with Darnold before but the big-play receiver is missing out on reps. It will be interesting to see how this story continues to play out this offseason. As of now there shouldn't be great concern. 

The rest of the Sam Darnold interview can be seen here.

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