49ers' Sam Darnold: Getting a real shot in San Fran?
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that Darnold, Brock Purdy (elbow) and Trey Lance are "all capable of being franchise-like quarterbacks," David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Shanahan mentioned Purdy's eight starts last year as an example of "franchise-like" play, also noting that Lance is the "best we've had him right now" (after some injury struggles) while Darnold "hasn't been in the best situations" prior to San Francisco. Comments from both Shanahan and John Lynch hint at Purdy being the favorite to start once he's healthy, but his ongoing rehab from UCL surgery leaves Lance and Darnold to compete for first-team reps this spring/summer, giving both opportunities to make an impression in one of the league's more fluid QB rooms. Darnold turns 26 in June and is signed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract that includes $3.5 million guaranteed.
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49ers' Sam Darnold: Heads to 49ers on one-year pact
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Darnold and the 49ers agreed to terms on a one-year contract Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft will be joining his third team in six years after making just six starts for the Panthers last season. Carolina preferred Baker Mayfield over Darnold to begin 2022, and the two sides were always headed for a split. In San Francisco, Darnold gives the 49ers a veteran arm while both Trey Lance (ankle) and Brock Purdy (elbow) rehab significant injuries.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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Darnold has been a borderline QB1 over the past five weeks since he took over the starting job for the Carolina Panthers. He's averaging an elite 8.8 yards per attempt and putting up career-best efficiency numbers across the board.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Impressive numbers in win
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Darnold completed 15 of 22 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Panthers' 37-23 win over the Lions on Saturday. He also rushed six times for 19 yards and another score.
Darnold averaged an impressive 11.4 yards per attempt while turning in his fourth straight interception-free effort. The 2018 third overall pick also upped his completion percentage for the fourth consecutive contest, and although the ground game took center stage Saturday, Darnold impressively connected with seven different pass catchers overall. With the Panthers firmly in the mix for the NFC South crown, Darnold will have an opportunity to play a pivotal role once again in what will be a critical Week 17 road matchup against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Jan. 1.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Sleeper QBs
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Darnold has started the past three games for the Panthers, but he's been at 18 Fantasy points or less in each outing. He hasn't attempted more than 24 passes in any game. But this could be his best game to date against the Lions, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks for the season. Carolina will struggle to run against Detroit since the Lions run defense has been amazing for the past two months. That should force Darnold to throw, and five of the past six quarterbacks against Detroit have scored at least 22 Fantasy points, with the lone exception when Trevor Lawrence had 18 points in Week 13. Darnold should score at least 18 Fantasy points, but hopefully he has a higher ceiling. He's worth trusting in deeper leagues in Week 16.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Throws TD in win
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Darnold completed 14 of 24 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-24 win over the Seahawks. He also rushed three times for 31 yards.
Darnold found Shi Smith for a 13-yard touchdown during the first quarter, but he otherwise struggled to produce much in the passing game. In fact, top wideout DJ Moore finished the game without a single catch. Despite that situation, Darnold salvaged some value as a runner thanks to a team-long gain of 26 yards on the ground. With a road victory to boot, he figures to maintain his starting job going into Week 15's matchup versus the Steelers.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Week 14 Waiver Priority List
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I don't have much faith in Darnold, but he did score 18 Fantasy points in his lone start against Denver in Week 12. And now he has a favorable matchup in Week 14 at Seattle, and four of the past six quarterbacks against the Seahawks have scored at least 20 Fantasy points. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues where available, Darnold is worth at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB. And he's worth a flier in deeper, one-quarterback leagues for 1 percent.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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Darnold will start for the Panthers in Week 12 against the Broncos, and he's worth adding in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Hopefully, he can provide some stability at the position with Baker Mayfield struggling and P.J. Walker (ankle) hurt. In 2021, Darnold got off to a hot start in Carolina and scored at least 21 Fantasy points in each of his first four games, including three outings with at least 301 passing yards. The best thing he can do is get D.J. Moore going, but Darnold is worth adding in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Comes off IR
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Darnold (ankle) was activated from injured reserve Monday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Now that he's made a full recovery from the left high-ankle sprain he sustained in late August, Darnold will join a Carolina quarterback room that became even more unsettled during Sunday's 42-21 loss to Cincinnati. While making his fourth consecutive start, PJ Walker threw two interceptions and completed just three of 10 pass attempts before being benched at halftime. Baker Mayfield performed reasonably well in relief over the final two quarters, but he completed only 54.9 percent of his throws for 6.3 yards per attempt while starting the Panthers' first five games before losing the job due to injury. The addition of Darnold, who turned in 11 mostly underwhelming starts for Carolina in 2021, further complicates the picture. Interim head coach Steve Wilks named Walker the starter for the team's Week 10 game against the Falcons on Thursday, so one of Mayfield or Darnold will serve as the top backup signal-caller.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Drawing close to full health
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Darnold said Wednesday that he's "close to 100 percent" following the high left-ankle sprain he suffered in the Panthers' preseason finale, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Carolina designated Darnold for return from injured reserve Oct. 19, so the team has until next Tuesday to get him back on the active roster. Still, even if he's available this Sunday at Cincinnati, he won't be an option to start under center.PJ Walker will draw a start for a fourth consecutive contest, with Baker Mayfield serving as his backup. As a result, there's no telling when (or if) Darnold will have a chance to receive in-game reps.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Won't start if activated
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Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks said that PJ Walker will start Sunday's game in Atlanta, regardless of the health of Darnold (ankle) and Baker Mayfield (ankle), Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Darnold hasn't been available for the Panthers' first seven games while recovering from the left ankle sprain he suffered in the team's preseason finale, but he appeared to be a candidate for the starting gig once he was deemed ready to return from injured reserve. The 25-year-old has a week of practice under his belt and could be activated from IR before the Week 8 contest if his ankle responds well to the Panthers' upcoming workouts, but even in that scenario, Darnold won't be available in anything more than a No. 2 capacity with Wilks handing Walker a third straight start after Walker played mistake-free football while guiding Carolina to a 21-3 upset over Tampa Bay in Week 7. Walker likely won't have a long leash on the starting role, and Mayfield was one of the NFL's worst-performing starters through the first five weeks of the campaign before missing the last two contests with his own injury, so the door isn't closed on Darnold getting a chance to run the Carolina offense before season's end.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Won't play this week
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Interim head coach Steve Wilks said Darnold (ankle) looked good in his return to practice Wednesday but won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Darnold's return to practice opened a 21-day window to be moved back to the active roster or remain on IR for the rest of the season. It'll almost certainly be the first outcome, and there's even potential for Darnold to make starts soon given that Baker Mayfield has played poorly and now is dealing with an ankle injury. Wilks named PJ Walker as his Week 7 starter and Jacob Eason as the backup quarterback.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Officially on IR
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The Panthers placed Darnold (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Coach Matt Rhule said Darnold will miss "at least four weeks" while recovering from a left high-ankle sprain suffered in last Friday's preseason finale, so his placement on injured reserve was inevitable. The move opens up a roster spot for kicker Eddy Pineiro. Darnold will be eligible to return Week 5 versus the 49ers, at the earliest. For now, Carolina will roll with P.J. Walker as the backup to starter Baker Mayfield.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Likely out 4-to-6 weeks
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Darnold is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks after reportedly suffering a high-ankle sprain in Friday's preseason contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Darnold appeared to have his ankle rolled up on during Friday's preseason game against the Bills, and the 25-year-old, who lost the starting quarterback job to Baker Mayfield earlier in the week, came away from the injury with a high-ankle sprain. With Matt Corral (foot) also sidelined for an extended period of time, P.J. Walker is expected to back up Mayfield for however long Darnold is out.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Gets ruled out with ankle injury
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Darnold won't return to Friday's preseason game against the Bills due to a left ankle injury, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
In the same week in which he lost Carolina's quarterback battle to Baker Mayfield, Darnold now may be in danger of missing the start of the coming campaign after having his left ankle roll to the inside as he was taken to the ground by a Buffalo defender in the third quarter. Darnold required a cart to go to the locker room, while P.J. Walker replaced him on the team's next possession. With rookie third-rounder Matt Corral (foot) out for the season, Walker is the only healthy signal-caller on the roster behind Mayfield.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Leaves Friday's game
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Darnold needed a cart to go to the locker room after suffering an apparent left ankle injury during Friday's preseason contest versus the Bills, Schuyler Callihan of SI.com reports.
While throwing an incompletion, Darnold's left ankle rolled to the inside as he was taken the ground by a Bills defender. He attempted to get to his feet but was unable to put any weight on his left leg, and after trainers checked him out he went to the locker room. In a week in which he lost the Panthers' quarterback battle to Baker Mayfield, Darnold now is in danger of beginning the upcoming season in street clothes instead of in uniform and at the ready if called upon by coach Matt Rhule. With rookie third-round pick Matt Corral (foot) already out for the season, P.J. Walker is the only healthy QB currently on Carolina's roster aside from Mayfield.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Decision on QB delayed
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Coach Matt Rhule wasn't ready to announce the Panthers' starting quarterback between Darnold and Baker Mayfield for Week 1 after Friday's preseason loss in New England, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
There was a belief Rhule would make a decision after the Panthers' second exhibition, but that may have gone out the window when both Mayfield and Darnold were kept out of the game. Rhule's comments imply as much, meaning he likely wants to see another week of prep before deploying the signal-callers next Friday against the Bills.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Limited work in preseason contest
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Darnold completed two of three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 23-21 preseason victory over the Commanders.
Darnold played on Carolina's second and third offensive possessions. The former began deep in Washington territory after an Antonio Gibson fumble, which Darnold capped with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins. Darnold appears to be slightly behind Baker Mayfield in the competition to be the Panthers' starting quarterback in Week 1, but after the game coach Matt Rhule said that no decision has been made to this point, per Schuyler Callihan of SI.com.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Not being shopped
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Darnold was notified Monday by general manager Scott Fitterer that he's not being shopped in trade discussions, Ellis Williams of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Darnold has been subject to trade speculation since the Panthers acquired fellow quarterback Baker Mayfield this offseason. While only one of the signal-callers will earn Carolina's starting job, with Mayfield reportedly emerging as the favorite early on, Darnold was told by Fitterer not to worry about recent chatter regarding a trade. With that assurance, Darnold will try to put his best foot forward in Saturday's preseason opener versus the Commanders.
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Panthers' Sam Darnold: Keeping pace in QB competition
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Darnold has been more consistent than Baker Mayfield over the first few days of Carolina's training camp, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Gantt points out that Darnold likely has benefited from having more time in the team's system than Mayfield, who was acquired via trade in July. Mayfield thus far has shown more upside but less consistency. While Mayfield is the consensus favorite to win Carolina's quarterback competition, Darnold won't make it easy to do so.
