Matt Rhule told us what he wants in a Panthers QB. Here’s what he’s seeing at Senior Bowl

This offseason, the Carolina Panthers have been mentioned with almost every possible quarterback — from Deshaun Watson to Matthew Stafford to Trey Lance to Mac Jones.

For a team that has not committed to Teddy Bridgewater being the future and is open to exploring all options — like extending an offer to Dwayne Haskins — the next step at the position is one of the most intriguing story lines of the Panthers’ offseason.

A day after the 2020 season came to a close, coach Matt Rhule was asked about he is looking for in a franchise-type quarterback.

He mentioned not turning the ball over, making the people around him better and having success on third down.

But this week, with the Panthers staff coaching at the Senior Bowl, Rhule was asked again what he is looking for in a quarterback, and he got a bit more specific.

“Just in general, I think you want someone who’s elitely intelligent. I think you want someone who’s a tremendous leader,” Rhule said. “I think you want someone who’s accurate. I think you want someone who has arm talent to make all the throws. And I think you want someone who has a history of making plays in crucial situations.”

“... I think a lot is made sometimes about quarterbacks coming into the league and failing. But usually, a lot of times they go to poor organizations without a lot of talent around them.”

While the head coach said multiple times he was speaking generically, it’s hard not to connect that last part with Bridgewater and this past year’s offense, which went 0-8 in 2020 in game-winning or tying situations. Having talent around the quarterbacks is notable, as well. In many scenarios that have been proposed regarding trades for some of the top quarterbacks available, multiple first-round picks for a player like Watson would be required, in addition to a player like Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.

For a team that has four of five starting offensive linemen set to hit free agency and wide receiver Curtis Samuel currently heading in that direction as well — and that’s all before mentioning the need for a pass-catching tight end — giving up assets is problematic. The Panthers would be moving on from talent to support whoever is playing quarterback in making a big free-agent move. That’s clearly something Rhule has in mind. Cost and effect.

But there is also the potential for drafting a quarterback. While the Panthers have the eighth overall pick in the draft, new general manager Scott Fitterer said the team could move up or down with that selection.

Down in Mobile, Alabama, Rhule and the offensive staff are working with three young quarterbacks: Alabama’s Jones, Wake Forest/Georgia’s Jamie Newman and Texas A&M’s Kellan Mond.

After a mixed day Tuesday, Jones spent extra time on the field after practice despite most of his teammates walking off and looked sharp in Wednesday’s practice. He appeared more comfortable and even had a impressive throw and catch to Georgia tight end Tre’ McKitty that elicited a gasp from the crowd.

Alabama QB Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) connects with Georgia TE Tre’McKitty (@T_mckitty) for a one handed grab, drawing the “ahhhhhs” from the crowd at day two practice at the @seniorbowl@bamainsider @UGASportscom #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/xdYv6JWM4k

— Rivals (@Rivals) January 27, 2021

“The guy was just playing two weeks ago (in the national championship). The fact that he’s here I think speaks a lot about who he is,” Rhule said about Jones. “He processes information quickly, highly intelligent, he’s an alpha. He’s the first guy on the practice field, he’s the first guy in the running, so he’s got a lot of really, really, really strong traits.”

Jones came into the week as the top quarterback at the Senior Bowl, potentially a fringe Day 1 pick, and may have helped his case Wednesday. A pep talk from Alabama head coach Nick Saban prior to practice couldn’t have hurt.

Another quarterback who has had some positive momentum is Newman, who opted out of what would have been his first season at Georgia. Newman, like multiple other players at the Senior Bowl, hasn’t played football for several months, or even over a year in many cases. He threw a couple of interceptions Wednesday, and looked less comfortable, but had some good plays Tuesday.

“Being smart. He works really hard at it. He throws a good ball, he’s athletic,” Rhule said of his first impressions of Newman. “Everything I’ve seen from Jamie’s been really good. ... For a guy that’s been out for a year, you don’t really see somebody that looks too rusty.”

Consistency is an issue, and Rhule did say Wednesday morning he was looking forward to seeing how he was able to push the ball downfield, but that didn’t go well during practice later that day.

It’s a long offseason, and the Panthers will be connected to a variety of players for months to come. Making a big splash would also move the rebuild timeline. You might ask Rhule again in two weeks what he’s looking for and get another perspective. There’s not one set answer right now. It will be up to Fitterer and Rhule to try to find a player somewhere who fits the vision best.