Sam Darnold’s first practice as a Panther was a restart of what he knows as a QB

Sam Darnold’s new home is incomplete.

After relocating to Charlotte for his job, he moved into an apartment that is still missing some key furniture. It currently includes a mattress with no bed frame and half of a sectional. Less than two weeks away from his 24th birthday, family and friends have come to town to visit him and he has checked out the local cuisine and some of what the town has to offer.

If not for the specifics of his job, salary and athletic ability, Darnold could be described as going through the same experiences that many young adults have moving to a new place. But entering his fourth year in the NFL, there are a few more eyes and a bit more pressure on the new Carolina Panthers quarterback than can be identified as relatable.

Darnold took the field along with almost all of the Panthers’ 90-man roster Tuesday for the second day of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) and the first open to the media. After ranking in the bottom portion in the league in almost every statistical category last year, the former New York Jets quarterback and lowest-rated passer over the last three seasons (78.6) isn’t feeling the pressure on him after being traded to Carolina.

“I’ve always kind of had high expectations for myself, first and foremost. Expectations outside of that, to be honest, besides my teammates and my coaches, it just doesn’t really mean a whole lot,” Darnold said. “For me, it’s about what we expect as a team, how much we expect to win.”

There’s only so much that can be taken away from one OTA practice with no pressure in the quarterback’s face. The day largely featured individual drills, some one-on-one situations and a red zone, two-minute drill period toward the end.

The 2018 third-overall pick did have zip on the ball throughout the day and appeared in command. There were some solid throws to the likes of DJ Moore (in his new No. 2 jersey). Over the next couple of months, there is still plenty of work to be done for the quarterback who was known as more of a drop-back, stay in the pocket passer in New York.

“I think the biggest thing for Sam is just to get really comfortable with the way that we move in the pocket,” coach Matt Rhule said. “He comes from a different system where they were kind of static. We’re more of an up in the pocket, slide up in the pocket, throw-on rhythm type of a team. We really don’t want him holding the ball and letting it rip. We want him to play the progression … That’s new to him. You can see a marked difference from the first day of phase two to now, from my perspective.”

This is the first offseason the coaching staff has had an opportunity to work with players in person prior to training camp after everything was shifted online last year due to COVID-19. The increased opportunities to work together in person, which will continue over the next three weeks, allows the staff to better work with and identify what players do well or need to work on. The significant amount of player present this week, including veterans, shows that the players are buying into what the staff is doing.

That extends to newer additions like Darnold.

“Every bit of experience Sam has, he can draw from it, but I think he’s doing a great job of just starting over with us, saying, ‘Hey, what’s the cadence? How do you want me to drop? How do you want me to do these things?’ ” Rhule said. “That allows us to develop him really from the ground up.”

Some of the belief in Darnold’s ability to perform better in Carolina than he did in New York is the scheme and the improved players around him — although the question mark remaining at left tackle is a concern. A significant part of that is running back Christian McCaffrey, who described himself as 100% healthy after missing 13 games last year due to injury.

Darnold said some of McCaffrey’s skills as a receiver and a rusher compare to former Jets back Le’Veon Bell. The pair of new teammates have known each other dating back to their time in the Pac-12 when USC and Stanford faced off, but they only played in a game against each other in college once (a 27-10 Stanford win in 2016). The pair has also been at workouts together in California multiple times, including this offseason.

“He’s such an easy guy to be around. He’s so laid back, he’s such a great person, and such a good player, too,” McCaffrey said. “When he’s out there throwing, he’s calm, he’s collected, but he has a great sense of urgency to him as well. It shows on the field and like I said, he just wants to win. And that’s I think the main thing you should want in a quarterback is somebody that wants to win games and do it however he can.”

By all accounts, Darnold is off to a solid start, but that’s what is to expect at the end of May with months to go until real football is played. For now, there is still much to be learned. You might even compare it to the half-filled apartment the quarterback is inhabiting.

“We’re working on it but hopefully, those (furnishings) will get here within the next couple of weeks,” Darnold said of his new home. “I got everything I need and again I’m in no rush right now.”