Despite outperforming PJ Walker in the preseason, the Panthers have named PJ Walker the backup quarterback to Sam Darnold and have waived former West Virginia star, Will Grier.
This was the first true and fair opportunity that Grier had since entering the NFL and he played extremely well. He was thrown to the wolves as a rookie in what tight end Greg Olsen called "an impossible situation" with an interim head coach, several key guys injured, and the team well out of playoff contention.
In Grier's 2nd year, he had to relearn the entire offense with a whole new coaching staff and had to do so without having a regular offseason due to the pandemic. Matt Rhule and the Panthers signed PJ Walker last offseason who played for Rhule at Temple. The two battled it out before Walker eventually separated himself and won the job. However, Rhule kept an open mind coming into this year's preseason and wanted them to battle it out once again.
If you look at the preseason production from the two below, you can see that Grier clearly put together a better three games. That said, Rhule decided to go with Walker and cut ties with the former 3rd string quarterback.
Grier's preseason numbers:
6/10 31 yards
11/14 144 yards
5/7 47 yards
Overall: 22/31 (71%) 222 yards, 1 rushing TD
Walker's preseason numbers:
10/21 161 yards 1 TD
1/8 8 yards
5/10 84 yards
Overall: 16/39 (41%) 253 yards 1 TD
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