Saturday Morning Thoughts: Darnold Looks Promising, Slye vs Santoso + More

Just like that, the preseason is over. Carolina finishes 1-2 following Friday night's 34-9 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and will now prepare over the next two weeks for the season opener when they play host to the New York Jets.

As I do after every game, I offer some takeaways from Friday night. 

Darnold looks the part

Sure, it was only a half of football and yes, it was against Pittsburgh's twos but Sam Darnold looked sharp. There were a few times where he may have pushed the envelope and put the ball in a bad area but he also made a bevy of good throws as well. He finished the day 19/25 for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Most importantly, he led the Panthers to a touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half which is a great sign to see considering their struggles in both the red zone and end-of-half scenarios a year ago.

Terrace Marshall Jr. will be a problem for opposing defenses

This is probably something you already knew but I don't like to hype up rookies/young players until I have a good feeling about them. Let me just say this, I have a good feeling about Marshall. This guy can straight up ball and do it in every level of the passing game. He has the speed, size, and hands to be a big factor in the Panthers' offense. It would be a stretch of the imagination to say Marshall could end up being the best receiver to come out of the 2022 draft class.

Slye seems all but gone

The Panthers brought in a couple of kickers this week to push Joey Slye for the kicking job. Dominik Eberle lasted all of two days before being waived. Thursday evening, Carolina traded a conditional 7th round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for Ryan Santoso. Santoso hit a 52-yarder but got a lucky bank in off the right upright. He finished the night a perfect 2/2 on field goal tries and 3/3 on PATs. Meanwhile, Slye's slump continued. He missed his 4th field goal of the preseason, this time, from 49. I know Santoso just arrived a little under 48 hours ago but I would be surprised if Slye is the kicker the coaching staff chooses to rock with. Slye's got the leg but clearly, something is affecting his kicks one way or another.

Rooting for Giovanni Ricci

The Panthers went all of training camp without a fullback before converting tight end, Giovanni Ricci. It may take some time for him to get comfortable lining up there but I like what I see from him. He's a tough, physical, blue-collar player that seeks contact. With Tommy Tremble being the only elite blocker in the tight end room, Carolina is going to need someone like Ricci to help pave the way for the backs every now and then. Not to mention, he's a darn good special teamer too.