CHARLOTTE, NC — New Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo emphatically said “yes” Tuesday when asked if Sam Darnold would be his starting quarterback, adding that the third pick of the 2018 draft was one of the Reasons why he took this job.
Seconds later, the former New York Giants head coach softened his yes by adding that coach Matt Rhule has a say in the decision, but that “the way it is in the building right now, Sam is our starting quarterback.”
Darnold and PJ Walker are the only quarterbacks signed for 2022, and the Panthers are considering quarterbacks as picks for the #6 draft.
“One of the things I’ve been working on is being able to talk to you guys better [media]so when announcing the starting quarterback here, I just put my foot in my mouth,” said McAdoo, who was fired from the Giants after the 2017 season.
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
2 relatives
But McAdoo has liked parts of Darnold’s game since the New York Jets drafted him to USC’s No. 3 pick. He told the New York Post in 2018 that Darnold had “a lot of magic at his game,” though he wondered aloud if Darnold would ever be the franchise savior the Jets needed from him.
Back then, he couldn’t get over the deficiencies in Darnold’s throwing mechanics and ball security.
“I think he’s special,” McAdoo told the Post. “He’s obviously a talented guy, he can play with his feet. I’d just have a hard time drafting a guy in the first round that you don’t necessarily like the way he throws.
“He can overcome it, guys have it, but that’s something that’s a challenge for me. I’ll take a look and try to fix it because it’s a fundamental error and I believe in the fundamentals. The Quarterback, his No. 1 job is to watch the football. If I don’t like the way he throws the ball, it’s hard for me to pick him, right?”
But in a way, McAdoo chose Darnold when he decided to come to Carolina after spending last season as a consultant for the Dallas Cowboys.
“Sam has something magical about his game,” McAdoo said in his first interview since being hired on Jan. 24. “He has a certain athleticism. I look forward to working with Sam. We’ve been working here for the past few days to get up to speed in offense and he’s shown he’s a good player in this league.”
That doesn’t mean the Panthers are more likely to pick a left tackle than a quarterback at 6th place. They’ve spent the last few months grading quarterbacks and capitalizing on seven of their 30 official visits to the position. The Panthers had visits from — Liberty’s Malik Willis, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe and Nevada’s Carson Strong.
Willis, Pickett and Corral are the most likely to go into the first round, according to draft analysts, with Pickett believed to be the best prepared to be a Day 1 starter in the NFL.
McAdoo doesn’t put much emphasis on being ready to play.
“I’m a big ‘swing for the fence’ guy,” he said. “Just because you’re ready doesn’t mean you’ll be the best. But readiness matters in some scenarios. Experience obviously helps.
“But at the end of the day you have to pick a player that you’ll be happy with in that position, hopefully for the next decade.”
McAdoo succeeded two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning with the Giants and helped him have two of his better seasons late in his career. A week after benching Manning, he was also fired, ending the quarterback’s streak of 210 consecutive starts.
Now he inherits Darnold, a quarterback the Panthers had so many questions about after he went 4-7 last season that they were willing to give the Houston Texans three first-round draft picks, players and other draft picks. Offering picks for Deshaun Watson.
Shortly after Watson joined the Cleveland Browns, Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer said that Darnold was “in the lead” for a job he declared “open” after the season.
McAdoo appears open to Darnold being his starter, despite reports that the Panthers are interested in trading for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. League sources told ESPN that the team simply reviewed the position with due diligence and such a trade would occur post-draft.
McAdoo said in the 2018 Post article that Mayfield had an “edge” about him but that he “don’t see much pro football in his band.”
McAdoo declined to speak about Mayfield on Tuesday.
“I’d like to comment on your question, but this isn’t my first rodeo,” McAdoo said. “I will keep the comments on the players on our list for now.”