Panthers HC Matt Rhule told reporters Wednesday that Sam Darnold will start Week 17.

Related Player: Cam Newton

Darnold starting should not move the needle much, but the hope is that his return to starting can get WR D.J. Moore back on track.

After missing the last six weeks on IR, Darnold will return and play snaps for the struggling Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton will get the start but the Panthers want to take another look at the only quarterback they have under contract next season. With playoffs out of the question and head coach Matt Rhule on the hot seat, look for this to be the last week Cam Newton receives as a starter if Sunday doesn't go well.

The matchup is difficult for the backfield but Darnold could provide a bump in production for D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Anderson has had his statistics cut in half this season while Moore is approaching his third straight 1000 yard season.

Panthers HC Matt Rhule told reporters Wednesday that Cam Newton will start Week 16, but Sam Darnold is expected to have a role under center as well.

Matt Rhule and Matt Nagy need to be locked in a hotel room together and figure out why they overthink everything.

Panthers QB Sam Darnold (shoulder) has been cleared for contact.

Related Players: Cam Newton, P.J. Walker

At this point all we can hope for is all three QBs playing in the same game.

Matt Rhule said he can't speculate who will be the full time guy this week.

Relaed players: Cam Newton, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker

Not many thought Darnold would be in the mix to get back on the field at this point, but here we are. The choice for Week 16 looks to be between Newton and Darnold at this point, but Rhule said he still needs some clarity from Darnold's test results Monday. Darnold has to be cleared by a doctor for contact practice.

The Carolina Panthers have designated QB Sam Darnold (shoulder). He has 21 days to be placed on the active roster or miss the remainder of the season.

Related Players: Cam Newton, P.J. Walker

If you have three QBs, do you even have one?

Matt Rhule said Sam Darnold could be a factor down the stretch but not now.

Related players: Cam Newton, P.J. Walker

Rhule said Newton and Walker will continue to divide reps. However, Darnold is still a few weeks away according to the tweet. With three weeks left in the season, that doesn't leave a ton of time for Darnold to get back into the picture. The Panthers don't seem to have any answer at the QB spot right now.

Sam Darnold is closing in on the short end of that recovery window and Matt Rhule said that he has resumed throwing on the side. The Panthers have a bye this week and Rhule said they’ll evaluate Darnold once they’re back from the time off.

Related players: Cam Newton, P.J. Walker

“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 TheAthletic.com, from the story. As we posted earlier, the Panthers have committed to starting Newton against the Falcons in Week 14 and Newton hopes to have a fuller grasp of the offense for that outing. If that doesn’t happen, Darnold could find his way back into consideration as the Panthers start to look toward the quarterback decisions they’ll have to make before the 2022 season, according to the story.

The Carolina Panthers are moving forward with the thought process that QB Sam Darnold (shoulder) will not play again this season and will give Cam Newton a chance to be the starter in 2022.

According to Schefter, one source said the Panthers "know Sam is out for the season", leading to the Panthers giving the contract they did to Newton, which includes incentives for playoff wins. He also has a chance to grab hold of the Panthers' starting QB job in 2022. PJ Walker will start today against the Cardinals while Newton gets up to speed, potentially making his official return to the Panthers' lineup next week against his former coach, Ron Rivera, and the Washington Football Team.

The Carolina Panthers have placed QB Sam Darnold (shoulder) on IR.

Related Player: P.J. Walker

Darnold is expected to miss at least four weeks, so this makes sense.