Following Sunday’s upset victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks gave a pretty strong endorsement to PJ Walker and his chances for starting under center in Week 8. That endorsement still stands.
Today, less than 24 hours after the dominant win, Wilks was asked if he’s sticking with that sentiment—and it seems like he is.
“As I mentioned yesterday, it’s gonna be tough to not put him back in there,” he said. “And as of right now, I don’t see no reason not to. I’m gonna reevaluate things throughout the week. I thought his performance yesterday was very impressive in the things that he did.”
What he did was orchestrate the most harmonious outing of the season for what has been the league’s worst offense. Walker connected on 16 of his 22 passing attempts for 177 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers in the 21-3 triumph.
Wilks was then asked by Darin Gantt of Panthers.com if Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold, both of whom could be in play against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, will factor into his decision. But given their respective treks back from high-ankle sprains, Walker just seems like the safest and most logical choice at the moment.
“Darin, that’s really something I don’t know and that’s the reason why I’m leaning towards already going with PJ this week,” he replied. “Number one—you don’t know where these guys are from a medical standpoint. And then two—based off his performance on Sunday, I wanna continue to go with PJ, until I get more information.”
If Walker gets the nod, it’ll be his fifth NFL start since joining the Panthers back in 2020.
