Sam Darnold Out 4-6 Weeks with Shoulder Injury; Will Be Placed on IR by Panthers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold will miss four to six weeks with a shoulder injury, head coach Matt Rhule told reporters Wednesday. 

Darnold suffered a fractured scapula in his right shoulder during his team's Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots.

The 24-year-old had been struggling before the injury, throwing 11 interceptions in nine games with only seven touchdown passes. He had five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns over the first four games of the season, but the production fell from there with only two total touchdowns in the next five games.

The passing yards also dropped from an average of 297.3 yards per game through Week 4 to 159.4 yards per game in the next five games. Overall, Darnold has not lived up to the Panthers' expectations since they acquired him from the New York Jets in an offseason trade.

P.J. Walker becomes the next man up for Carolina with the recently added Matt Barkley behind him on the depth chart. When asked about the position, Rhule told reporters the team would "explore any and all options" at quarterback.