Will Grier
Out of all the quarterback performances in the Panthers’ preseason, Will Grier’s is without a doubt the most disappointing. He displayed quality accuracy in his final season at West Virginia, so upon getting drafted by the Panthers, I suspected he’d finish as the QB2 by the preseason’s end.
Unfortunately, Grier hasn’t met Carolina’s expectations thus far, struggling with his accuracy and throwing a couple of ugly looking picks. He needs more time before he can be written off, but he has a long way to go if he wants to win the battle to be Cam Newton’s backup.
Outside of a couple of plays, Grier’s struggles in the preseason can be determined by his erratic accuracy. As aforementioned, I thought he was very accurate in college, and even in this game I was impressed with how he was constantly aiming to fit passes into tight windows. As Rivera said, the decision making, aside from a few missteps, was fine.
The accuracy was a different story.
Maybe it’s good that Grier missed on this play, as an incoming safety was ready to pound DeAndrew White. But I do think White had enough time to make a move after the catch to avoid the ensuing hit – if the timing on this pass was better than it was.
Grier’s decision making was somewhat of an issue I had with him at West Virginia, but I didn’t encounter anything as concerning as some of the decisions he’s made this preseason. The pick-six against the Bills was bad, but I thought the play below was just as bad, if not in the same ballpark at least.
This pass to Aldrick Robinson (green circle) should not be thrown. The safety over the middle (Jaquan Johnson) is staring down Grier from the beginning, and as the quarterback gets this pass off…
…Robinson almost gets shellshocked by Johnson.
This is just a poor read from Grier. Throwing this short of the sticks would work if Johnson was manipulated by Grier’s movement, but the safety isn’t fooled and recognizes the danger the receiver’s route possesses. On first and second down, this would less of a problem, but when you’re trying to move the chains on third down, it’s an issue.
Furthermore, the ball placement leads Robinson right into Johnson. Robinson doesn’t even turn around until the ball is well out of Grier’s hands, so I’m not even sure he was supposed be targeted or if this was just a miscommunication. But that doesn’t excuse the decision from Grier. With coverage this tight, Grier can’t force this to his receiver – it’s a hospital ball. He had time in the pocket to reset himself and make a play happen.
Up Next: Taylor Heinicke
