Panthers QB Will Grier getting first-team reps, team holds off official announcement
The Panthers are holding off on making an official announcement about who will be starting at quarterback vs. the Colts on Sunday, despite a report by The Observer Monday confirming that the team’s plan was to give quarterback Will Grier his first career start this week.
Interim head coach Perry Fewell did confirm that Grier received all of the first-team reps Wednesday and would again Thursday.
The rookie third-round pick, 100th overall, is the only Panthers’ 2019 draft pick on the roster to not play in the regular season. Grier will be the ninth rookie quarterback to start a game this year.
Fewell said Wednesday that the Week 16 game against the Colts had been the target game to get Grier, a Davidson native, on the field.
“We evaluated (him) two weeks ago and this was a target game in mind,” Fewell said. “We didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on him, but we said that we would try to get him ready for the Indy week to play, we don’t know if he will start or not, but we wanted to get him some reps with the ones, so he would have timing, voice command, see how he handled the huddle and see how he executed the plays.”
The move will allow the team to get a look at what Grier can do on the field as the Panthers prepare to head into the offseason with a lot of decisions to be made at the quarterback position. The team can save $19.1 million in cap space by trading or letting Cam Newton, who is on injured reserve, go with one year left on his contract.
Kyle Allen’s 2019 season may be coming to a close with a 5-7 starting record after leading the team to four straight wins following their 0-2 start. He has thrown all 15 of his interceptions over the last eight games (1-7 record) and has struggled to find consistency with Carolina often down early. The Panthers have only led once in the last five games (vs. Washington).
Despite the team planning for Grier to play at least some vs. the Colts, he did not practice with the first-team last week.
“He looked good,” Fewell said of Grier’s practice. “He had command, he made good decisions and it looked like he had fun.”
Grier will talk to the media Thursday. Fewell said he would like to see how he performs in his second practice with the first-team before announcing a starter.
The rookie will be playing behind an offensive line that has allowed 51 sacks this year, tied for second-most in the NFL. The Panthers’ offense is also tied for the third-most giveaways in the NFL (29).
Most of the first-team offense is getting its first chance to play with Grier in awhile. Fewell was even asked if he thought Grier had “swagger,” a word that was associated with the quarterback during his time at West Virginia.
“I think that’s probably part of the growth process, you’ll see that as he matures. I don’t know if you’ll see that swagger on Sunday,” Fewell said. “Part of his practice today, he was focused on the basics and fundamentals, and he did those things quite well. I was pleasantly pleased.”
Pro Bowl starters
Two Panthers were named to the Pro Bowl, McCaffrey and LB Luke Kuechly. This is McCaffrey’s first Pro Bowl appearance and Kuechly’s seventh straight.
“I think statistically I’ve had a good year, so maybe that’s it,” McCaffrey said of making it this year vs. last season. “It’s an honor to one, represent this team and two, especially in the NFC there’s so many good backs, it’s definitely an honor.”
Both players have set impressive records this season. McCaffrey beat his own franchise record for scrimmage yards in a season (currently at 2,121) and became the first player in Panthers history to have 2,000-plus scrimmage yards in a season.
Kuechly broke Thomas Davis’ record for the most tackles in team history (1,077) in Week 15 with 1,079. He also recorded 100-plus tackles for the eighth straight season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to do so.
Injury notes
- Linebacker Shaq Thompson was among a large group of players that did not practice Wednesday with an ankle injury he suffered vs. the Seahawks. Most of the players that did not practice typically have the first day of the week off, including McCaffrey and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
- Tight end Greg Olsen practiced fully Wednesday after clearing concussion protocol. He missed two games.
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Panthers QB Will Grier getting first-team reps, team holds off official announcement."
