“He never got you over the hump” - NFL HOFer Kurt Warner says Carolina Panthers must move on from Sam Darnold in draft
During head coach Matt Rhule's tenure with the Carolina Panthers, the team has yet to have a game-changer at quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater, Cam Newton, and Sam Darnold have all tried to cement themselves as the solution. However, none of them showed enough to be the guy moving forward.
The Panthers are at a premium spot in the NFL draft at sixth overall to draft a new quarterback. Whether they take Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis, NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner believes the team must select one of them.
On Thursday's episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Warner told Eisen that the Darnold experience hasn't worked for the Panthers, and they must move on. Warner said,
“I do. Just because I believe you know, Sam Darnold. And again, you can probably compare who Sam Darnold was coming out, or even some of the things that he showed us in the NFL, and you may be able to make an argument you know, just, you know, Apples to Apples looking at tape. Oh, ‘Sam Donald is just as good as Kenny Pickett or maybe a little bit better at some of the things that he's done.’ But it hasn't worked."
Interestingly, Warner compares the two quarterbacks' skillsets as similar. Although they're similar players, draft analysts like Mel Kiper Jr. believe Pickett can compete with Darnold and surpass him in training camp.
.@MelKiperESPN says Kenny Pickett could be a day one starter in the NFL 👀
"You want someone to come compete with Sam Darnold right away? It would be Pickett." https://t.co/z3Esk8Leg0
Warner continued by saying Darnold didn't get the Panthers over the hump. In a quarterback-driven league, you can't settle for below average. Warner knows this as well as anyone, telling Eisen:
"And that to me is the key, is that you can look at a lot of things. But the bottom line is you had him there, and it didn't work. And he never got you over the hump like you thought. And we talk about it every week on our show Rich. This is a quarterback-driven league. You gotta have that guy. And it's not always just ‘when I watch the tape, you know the arm’s stronger or the accuracy there.’ You're trying to find a great leader. You're trying to find a guy that people can rally around, believe in, and when you step on the field every Sunday, they believe you have a chance to win. And if you don't have one of those guys, you better get one of those guys."
The Panthers are in a spectacular position to acquire one of those guys, as Warner called for them to do. He warned that, if the Panthers don't try and take a swing at one of the rookies, they'll be stuck in the same boat again come this time next offseason. Warner said,
"Or nothing else really matters to me. You know, just because of the way the game is played. And so it just hasn't worked for them with Sam Darnold. That I do believe, you know, whether it's gonna be Kenny Pickett or one of these other guys that they really like. I do believe if you're in a position to go get one? You have to go get one. Otherwise, you're going to be in the same boat at the end of the year as everybody else. ‘We maybe had a solid year, but we're not competing for anything.’"
What will the Carolina Panthers do to address the need at quarterback?
The Panthers are the first team on the draft board with a glaring need at quarterback in this year's draft. Barring a surprising reach from the Detroit Lions or New York Giants, the Panthers should have their picks at the position.
One possibility outside of the draft is signing free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Wide receiver Robby Anderson voiced his support for the team bringing in Kaepernick on social media.
WR Robbie Anderson wants Colin Kaepernick to be his QB in Carolina, not Baker Mayfield 👀
#Panthers https://t.co/Bka9YzHYbi
Outside of Kaepernick and the draft, trading for Baker Mayfield is a possible outcome. However, neither Carolina nor Anderson appear as interested in the disgruntled quarterback as Mayfield is interested in them.
We'll know the answer to who Rhule will be working with in a pivotal third season as he looks to keep his job, which is currently on thin ice.