After the Carolina Panthers selected Will Grier in the third round general manager Marty Hurney went out of his way to make sure this pick had nothing to do with Cam Newton.
“Nothing to do with Cam,” Hurney said via Pro Football Talk. “I said he’s our franchise quarterback. This is about depth and bringing in young guys and developing young guys. This has nothing to do with Cam Newton. Cam Newton is our starting quarterback and franchise quarterback. This is just about bringing in young guys to develop and depth.”
This does feel more like a move to get the Panthers a guy they could develop into a solid backup, something they really didn't have last year. The last time the Panthers drafted a quarterback was when they selected Cam Newton.
Newton is 30 years old and only has two years left on his contract, but it's been made clear that he is still the quarterback of the future for the Panthers.
The only reason this pick might have had anything to do with Newton is if the team doesn't trust that he will ever fully come back from his shoulder injury. Last year, even though Newton claimed he was 100 percent, it was clear that his shoulder was an issue. If the team feels like that he won't ever get back to an MVP level, maybe they did draft Grier to replace him at one point.
At this time though, the team is saying all the right things and still giving the keys of the franchise to Newton.
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