Sam Darnold cleared for contact, practicing for…

Quarterback Sam Darnold could work his way back into consideration for playing time with the Panthers before the year is out.

According to Darin Gantt of the team’s website, Darnold has been cleared for contact and is taking part in practice with the team on Wednesday. Darnold has not played since injuring his right shoulder in a Week Nine loss to the Patriots and was designated to return from injured reserve last week.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule dismissed questions about whether Darnold would get another turn running the offense by saying that it would only be a consideration once he was cleared for contact. The Panthers have given Cam Newton and P.J. Walker playing time since Darnold went down, but the team’s 1-4 mark is one of the signs that things haven’t gone all that well at quarterback.

Darnold was 182-of-306 for 1,986 yards, seven touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while starting the first nine games of the year. He has a guaranteed salary of just over $18.8 million for the 2022 season.