2021 NFL Draft: Identifying the most quarterback-needy teams

Carolina Panthers

Current QB Depth Chart: Teddy Bridgewater, Will Grier, P.J. Walker

Teddy Bridgewater signed a three-year free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers over the offseason and is set up to be their starting quarterback in 2020. Bridgewater is a solid quarterback, but I do not know if he is good enough to make Carolina legitimately competitive this season.

The Panthers appear to be taking a long-term approach, building a young and talented team for new head coach Matt Rhule. Bridgewater is the guy for now, but if the Panthers end up holding a high pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, quarterback will undoubtedly be on the radar. I do not see Carolina messing around with any mid-tier guys, but if they are in a position to snag Lawrence, Fields or Lance, they will not hesitate to bring in a new franchise quarterback.

New England Patriots

Current QB Depth Chart: Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham

Before the Cam Newton signing about a month ago, the New England Patriots would have been the most obvious team to put on this list. With all due respect to Jarrett Stidham, he was always unlikely to be an adequate starting quarterback for the Pats. Adding Newton is a low-risk, high-upside move that immediately raises the Patriots’ ceiling for the 2020 season. That being said, Newton is far from guaranteed to be a success in New England.

Newton could easily continue to struggle with injuries with the Patriots and put together a less than stellar 2020 season. If this happens, the quarterback position will likely be on the Patriots’ radar in the 2021 NFL Draft, no matter where they end up picking.