Panthers to start Will Grier with eye on future in Week 16

With an eye on the future, the Carolina Panthers are set to start rookie quarterback Will Grier in Week 16.

The Carolina Panthers were already eliminated from playoff contention before they dropped to 5-9 with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks this past weekend. With an eye on the future, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Panthers are expected to start rookie quarterback Will Grier against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Panthers interim head coach Perry Fewell said a decision on the starting quarterback won’t be announced until Wednesday.

With Cam Newton long sidelined by a foot injury that ultimately ended his season, Kyle Allen has started the last 12 games for Carolina. The team won his first four starts, as Allen had a 7:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 106.6 passer rating. But they are just 1-7 since, as Allen has thrown 15 interceptions with 10 touchdown passes and a 70.9 passer rating over that span.

The Panthers drafted Grier in the third round of last April’s draft out of West Virginia. He has yet to take a regular-season snap, but his preseason numbers were not impressive against backups (55.7 percent completion rate, 6.3 yards per attempt, two touchdowns, three interceptions, seven sacks taken).

Newton’s health is a lingering concern, but he’s also got just one year left on his contract. The Panthers can move on from him easily during the offseason, clearing $19.1 million in cap space while retaining just a $2 million dead money hit if he’s cut or traded. With head coach Ron Rivera already gone, the odds seem good that Newton has played his last game for the Panthers.

Though the ultimate decision on the 2015 NFL MVP will not be made for months, the Panthers have to survey their quarterback options with the idea Newton will not be back next year. That obviously starts internally, and they’ve seen what Allen has to offer over a longer sample beyond one start at the end of 2018 and his nice four-game run this year.

Regardless of how he performs over what will presumably be two starts to end this season, Grier will probably be on Carolina’s quarterback depth chart next year. It’ll be impossible to anoint him as the clear-cut starter based on two end-of-season games, but he can put himself somewhere in the mix by playing well.