Panthers Make Big Decision With Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold is officially ready to roll for the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers announced Monday morning that Darnold is finally active after suffering an ankle injury in the preseason.

The move comes as the Panthers remain uncommitted to Baker Mayfield or P.J. Walker at quarterback. Now, there's a third player in the mix in the QB room.

While it's unlikely Sam Darnold gets pushed into the starting role, the team is definitely searching for answers.

The Panthers are 2-7, Baker Mayfield hasn't played well for most of the season and P.J. Walker was downright awful against the Bengals.

Darnold being fully healed up from his ankle injury at least gives interim head coach Steve Wilks another option to consider.

Baker Mayfield did beat out Sam Darnold in the preseason, but none of that seems to matter anymore. Mayfield was benched and then got to play the second half Sunday.

Now, another former first round pick from the 2018 draft has been cleared to play. Steve Wilks certainly has some decisions to make the rest of the season.

We'll see how it all shakes out, but it certainly seems like all options should be on the table for the Panthers.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.