As we make our way towards training camp, we’ll be investigating the Panthers camp battles that will be happening in the trenches during the dog days of summer in Spartanburg – while some, like the starting free safety and nickel cornerback, are easy to find, some aren’t quite so obvious and almost certainly injuries will force others into the spotlight, perhaps some that we didn’t even think about this early in the process.
Previously, we’ve taken a look at the offensive line, which has perhaps the most talent it’s had in the Cam Newton Era here in Carolina, with lots of question marks still swirling as the Panthers head towards training camp; and at the running back class, which has questions about both who will make the roster underneath the bellcow that is Christian McCaffrey – and whether the Panthers will actually use those backups.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at the position group that holds by far the biggest question mark on the entire roster – the joint in the upper right quadrant of Cam Newton’s body. But that’s not the only question surrounding the quarterback room, so let’s dive in and get some of those questions answered.
Really the Only Question That Matters: Cam’s Shoulder
Too much has already been said about Cam Newton, his mechanics and whether he is going to be ready and healthy for training camp. But the deeper question is not whether he is able to throw consistently throughout the month of August – that wasn’t an issue last season and as you’re about to see over the weekend as we binge-watch All or Nothing, his ability to throw was affected deeply for the second half of the season and his lack of practicing throughout the week likely hindered Norv Turner’s ability to open up the playbook the way that he was able to during the Panthers 6-2 start – the question is this:
Will he be able to stay at 100% for the entirety of not only the regular season, but hopefully a deep playoff run?
And, unfortunately, that’s not a question we will be able to answer until the first big hit – or the last big hit, should we say – that the 245-pound quarterback absorbs during the 2019 season; but seeing Newton throw with confidence — and utilizing his ‘new’ mechanics — during the latest video on his social media channels as he holds his annual retreat/summit with his pass catchers and running backs is certainly encouraging.
And encouraging signs – with no setbacks after each highly scrutinized practice session – will be a win during training camp and the preseason as the team treats him with kid gloves. Don’t be surprised to see the backup quarterbacks running the show for certain sessions as Newton gets some rest days to keep him 100% heading towards Week 1 against Los Angeles.
The Question Of May, But Not So Much August: Will Grier
After going through an up-and-down, inconsistent, good-days-and-bad-days, rookie growing pains — all of these are euphemisms for Will Grier not looking great during OTAs and minicamp — spring season, the Panthers first quarterback drafted since 2011 will get his chance to earn a backup spot and show how much retention he did over the summer break. Remember that the quarterback position is less about how Grier throws the ball – that’s something he already knows how to do, something everyone from Scott Turner to Grier’s competition for backup quarterback to veteran pass catchers like Greg Olsen mentioned during the spring – it’s more about the mental side of the game.
Grier’s third-round draft pedigree that created so much divisiveness in the weeks after the draft likely guarantees him a roster spot – his performance in Spartanburg and during the preseason will determine whether he enters the season as Cam Newton’s primary backup or the emergency quarterback on Sundays.
The Panthers drafted Grier not to compete for a starting gig in 2018, but to be a quarterback of the future – either here in Carolina if Cam Newton’s shoulder affects his career or somewhere else a la Jimmy Garoppolo, who improved his draft stock so much during mop up duty and the preseason the Patriots were able to trade him for a 2018 second-round pick in 2017 after spending a second rounder on a backup QB in 2014.
The Real Camp Battle: Backup Plans
The Three Amigos
The question that the Panthers coaching staff must find an answer to is whether the performance during last year’s training camp – when Taylor Heinicke beat out both Kyle Allen and Garrett Gilbert for the backup slot, a job he kept for the entirety of the season – outweighs the 228-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 17 of Kyle Allen in the Panthers final game of the season.
Allen’s performance certainly made the Panthers staff, and likely scouts around the NFL, stand up and take notice – which makes Allen more of a trade piece should the Panthers like what they see in Will Grier as their quarterback of the future. It will be a tough hill for Heinicke to climb to regain his spot on the roster.
But the 26-year old has won his way onto a Norv Turner roster multiple times already in his career, and he was was 9-for-13 for 62 yards and a score in the first start of his career before an elbow injury that eventually landed him on injured reserve forced him out of the game. When he returned, he threw three interceptions in the Panthers Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but won his teammates’ respect.
Heinicke also had a leg up last offseason after spending time in a Turner offense in Minnesota previously, so much so that he was able to help teach the other guys in the QB room about the intricacies of the nuanced system. That alone won’t win him a roster spot in 2019 as a younger Allen, who spent all of training camp in Carolina and was on the practice squad to start the 2018 season and had a quality game like he had in Week 17 – even if it was against the Saints’ backups for much of the 33-14 victory – likely has the inside track for not only the roster spot, but the 2019 backup job as well.
But that’s why they call it a battle.
