Carolina Panthers: Checking in on the 2018 backup quarterback battle

The Carolina Panthers need to select a primary backup for Cam Newton and the preseason is the perfect time to analyze the options before making a decision.

Every NFL team needs to have insurance at various positions on the roster. But none are as important as the need to have an adequate option at backup quarterback. The Carolina Panthers are already struggling with multiple injuries across their starting roster. If something happened to franchise signal caller, Cam Newton, which would be catastrophic. The Panthers can no longer lean on the veteran abilities of Derek Anderson, so it will be interesting to see who emerges as the teams backup option with the 2018 regular season begins.

When Anderson was behind Newton, the team had a veteran that came with a wealth of experience as a starter. The few times that his number was called, Anderson filled in adequately, putting together a 2-2 record as a starter, completing 111 of 168 passes for 66 percent. Those veteran abilities are no longer available to the Panthers as they now look at three potential options as his replacement.

Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert and Kyle Allen all stepped onto the field last Thursday as the Panthers pulled out a 28-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills. As a combined unit, the three men put on a strong performance, mostly carried by Gilbert and Heinicke. Without Newton’s contribution, they completed 14 of 22 passes for 63 percent. Both Gilbert and Heinicke completed one touchdown pass each and ended the day with 93 and 121`yards, respectively.

On Friday, the Panthers welcome the Miami Dolphins to Bank of America Stadium for their second preseason game of the year. The expectation is that both Heinicke and Gilbert will get majority of the repetitions, as this is a very important positions battle that is occurring on the roster.

One of the major issues is that none of the three men have a lot of prior footage to review. In fact, between the three of them, only Heinicke has appeared in a game — back in 2017 he completed one pass for the Houston Texans.

While it may be too early to draw this conclusion, it’s perplexing that the Panthers have elected to go with three players with such inexperience as their options as backups. Especially when you take into account the way teams have taken to playing a more physical style when facing Newton. Whether it’s a few downs or a few games, the Panthers could quickly find themselves in a situation in which they have to lean on one of these three men to take the reins.

New offensive coordinator Norv Turner is working hard to bring consistency to the Panthers’ passing game. It’s one of the areas where the team has struggled in more often than not. Expect Friday’s game to continue the narrative of Panthers quarterbacks looking to complete the more efficient passes, rather than going for the big, surprising plays.

One game in, it has looked like a change in the right direction. However, all three of these young players need to prove that they are capable in packing up Newton because if they don’t Carolina could still find a backup waiting in free agency. Names such as Colin Kaepernick are still out there and that’s a narrative that all but writes itself. This is one of the most interesting position battles on the roster and is worth keeping a close eye on for the remainder of the preseason and beyond.