Sam Darnold looks like a new man with the Carolina Panthers. Zach Wilson is taking major lumps with the New York Jets.
These things might be related.
The Jets moved on from Darnold in the offseason to draft Wilson, and it wasn’t unreasonable. Darnold did nothing his first three seasons to justify being the third pick of the draft. But the Panthers believed. They traded for Darnold and never wavered on making him their starter.
Or, perhaps, they believed the Jets did nothing to help Darnold, whose talent was being wasted.