A busy Monday in the NFL, with the first coaching change of 2022 in the books … coach—you don’t get forever to figure out your quarterback situation. And, eventually, if you’re unstable at the most important position on the field, it’s going to cost you out there, and probably with the guy cutting the checks, too.
They also used up a lot of resources in order to kick the can down the road. Combining the capital spent on Bridgewater, Darnold, Mayfield and 2022 draftee Matt Corral, the Panthers sunk a sixth-rounder in ’21, a second and two fourths in ’22, a third in ’23, a conditional fourth/fifth in ’24, and about $61 million in cash into the position. And that’s without counting the $6 million Newton made last year, or the roughly $2.5 million Walker has earned from the team the last three years .
And that’s not to say any of these guys would’ve killed it with better quarterbacking. But it’d have given them a better chance. I also think it’s fair to wonder if the lack of urgency to get the position right is because each successfully churned it in college jobs .Urban Meyer, Jaguars 2–11Chip Kelly, Eagles 26–21, 49ers 2–14Jim Harbaugh, 49ers 44–19–1Nick Saban, Dolphins 15–17Not a wildly successful group, of course.
The bigger transition will come when Watson returns to the practice field in mid-November, when the coaches will be able to acclimate him to calling plays and working in and out of huddle. For now, the focus is just on getting and keeping Watson where he needs to be on the mental side of the game., sending a 2024 sixth-round pick to Atlanta for LB Deion Jones and a 2024 seventh-round pick.