Panthers will play Cam Newton and PJ Walker vs Bills. Can a 2-QB system work in the NFL?

The Carolina Panthers will continue to try something that has rarely been done in the NFL against the Buffalo Bills.

They’ll play two quarterbacks on Sunday.

But this isn’t necessarily some innovative strategy. Panthers coach Matt Rhule said he’s preparing P.J. Walker and Cam Newton to play out of necessity.

Newton, who signed with the Panthers midway through the season, is not where the coaching staff wants him to be.

The Panthers will continue to start Newton and likely use Walker in two-minute and later-quarter situations, rotating the two quarterbacks and using the hot hand.

But can a two quarterback system work in the NFL? Perhaps, but there’s little case study for it in today’s NFL.

“If you got a great one, you’re going to play him all the time,” said Marc Ross, an analyst for the NFL Network who won two Super Bowls with the Giants while with their front office. “If you look at great quarterbacks, they are on the field. If you don’t (have one), then you’re just trying to just find one. And there just really isn’t enough good quarterbacks to go around.”

Desperation move by Panthers?

New Orleans has used two quarterbacks with Taysom Hill and now retired Drew Brees in recent years. However, that was a different situation. Hill was used as a specialty player and not used much as a quarterback.

“The Panthers are doing it out of desperation,” Ross said. “It’s not as if they’re doing it as some sort of game plan where ‘we’ve got two really good quarterbacks and we’re doing this because we want to accentuate their strengths.

“Because neither one of those guys are viable at this point.”

When quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a shoulder injury in the Week 9 loss to the Patriots, the Panthers went out and signed Newton, hoping he could help salvage their season.

But when he arrived, there was an adjustment period. He needed to learn the playbook. Rhule said he didn’t have the best grasp of the two-minute offense.

“I’m very comfortable,” Newton said, when asked whether he felt more comfortable in the offense since the bye week. “I came in comfortable. I think that’s the issue. We need to start playing with a sense of urgency. And that’s starting with numero uno, myself. And I plan on playing with that.”

Lately, his struggles with turnovers have factored into Rhule’s decision to play Walker some. Newton has turned it over twice in each of the past two games.

His two turnovers in the Panthers’ 29-21 loss to the Falcons last week were the difference.

Newton has passed for three touchdowns and three interceptions, completed 58% of his passes and has a 73.6 passer rating in four games. The Panthers are 1-3 since signing him and they’ve used both Newton and Walker in three of those four games.

The Panthers need him to be better, and Newton knows that.

“Cam, he had some good drives, moving the ball down the field,” Rhule said. “(But) he put two balls on the ground. I think looking ahead, Cam continues to work, to learn, but our quarterback can’t have two turnovers in two straight games. We’re just not going to win that way.”

Challenges of splitting reps

Neither quarterback seems thrilled about having to split reps, but they are willing to do it.

“Pride is the Devil,” Newton said, quoting rapper J. Cole, when asked was it difficult from a pride perspective.

When asked the difficulties of playing in a two-quarterback system, Walker said it can throw a quarterback off his rhythm.

“The position in itself is a rhythm position,” Walker said. “So you can do as much as you want, but if you’re not out there, you ain’t seeing the same thing as the guy that’s out there that’s playing.

“You’ve got to find ways to throw the ball on the sideline over and over again.”

Interim offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon conceded Thursday that there are challenges to using multiple quarterbacks. When he was an assistant in Philadelphia, the Eagles had Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia.

“At times we had to play multiple quarterbacks,” Nixon said of the Eagles. “It can be difficult, but our guys do such a good job in their preparation.”

Nixon said the players know the game plan going into the game, which is key.

Ideally, the Panthers would like to play just Newton. They signed him to a one-year, $6 million deal halfway through the season to play eight games.

“Certainly, I don’t want to be playing two quarterbacks,” Rhule said. “No one does. But it’s the situation that we’re in, and we’re trying to maximize where we’re at right now.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Panthers will play Cam Newton and PJ Walker vs Bills. Can a 2-QB system work in the NFL?."

Jonathan M. Alexander

The Charlotte Observer

919-829-4822

Jonathan M. Alexander is a native of Charlotte. He began covering the Carolina Panthers for the Observer in July 2020 after working at the N&O for seven years, where he covered a variety of beats, including UNC basketball and football, Duke basketball, recruiting, K-12 schools, public safety and town government. Support my work with a digital subscription