When Sam Darnold went down with a shoulder injury, the Carolina Panthers quickly brought in Cam Newton to replace him for the time being at quarterback. While there was a belief that Carolina would just roll with Newton for the rest of the season, it appears Darnold could be back soon.

The signal-caller is nearing the end of his 4 to 6 weeks timetable and Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said on Monday that Darnold has started to throw and should be practicing in the very near future:

We’ll get him back next week, see where he’s at in his process and go from there,” Rhule said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Tetairoa McMillan, Jordan Brand, Panthers
Jordan Brand signs Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan
Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan walks across the stage after being selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26.
Dave Canales’ ‘smooth’ review of Tetairoa McMillan will get Panthers fans hyped
Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is selected by the Carolina Panthers as the number eight pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan signs $27.9 million rookie contract

Given the way Newton played on Sunday, the Panthers may want Darnold healthy. He completed just 5 of 21 passes and threw two interceptions before getting yanked at halftime by Rhule in a 33-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, the Carolina boss did say Newton will start in Week 14 after the team's bye week. There's also the chance Darnold is healthy by then, too.

Needless to say, the Panthers are going to have serious options at QB in the last few weeks of the 2021 season. The competition for snaps will be fierce.