Carolina Panthers: Will Grier brings late-season intrigue

Will Grier is expected to start at quarterback for the Panthers in Week 16, bringing some late intrigue in a lost season for Carolina.

Will Grier is expected to become the third quarterback to start for the Carolina Panthers in 2019 when they face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16.

The Panthers are in the final weeks of a lost season that once had plenty of promise. Carolina was 4-2 at the bye with Kyle Allen doing an excellent job filling in for Cam Newton. However, they have since won just one of their subsequent eight games, with Allen enduring a nightmare run that has seen him throw 15 interceptions and only 10 touchdowns.

With no sign of Allen turning things around, interim coach Perry Fewell is set to hand the keys over to Grier, the Panthers’ third-round pick in the 2019 draft, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Back in April, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported the Panthers had a higher grade on former West Virginia star Grier than they did on number one overall pick Kyler Murray.

That anybody within the Panthers organization could hold such a view appears ludicrous at this point in a season where Murray has made significant strides and looked like a future star of the NFL. Yet, in a year that has become bereft of intrigue for the Panthers, Grier provides some.

The game against the Colts, and likely the season finale with the New Orleans Saints, will provide Grier with the opportunity to prove he is worth being a part of the Panthers’ rebuild. His performances are unlikely to factor into the decision over Newton’s future, but the Panthers will at least now get a proper look at what they have in a quarterback who did not appear ready in the preseason.

What they should get from Grier is excitement. His nickname of “thrill Grier” was well earned at West Virginia, where he produced countless displays of heroics in the clutch. Panthers fans will see a quarterback unafraid to push the ball downfield and one who displays impressive accuracy and touch on deep balls despite lacking an elite arm.

The results may not be pretty. Indianapolis is more talented on defense than a late-season slump suggests while the Saints have one of the better defenses in the NFL. However, at a point in a season where Panthers fans may be struggling to find reasons to tune in, at least now they have one.