When quarterback Will Grier was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round last year, he knew he was stepping into a situation where he would be a backup for the first time in his career.
But he didn't know how difficult it would be, and he went from the third-string quarterback to the starter by the end of the season. Cam Newton had been shut down in Week 2, and Kyle Allen was benched in Week 14.
Grier wasn't ready.
"I failed last year at that," Grier said. "I straight up was bad at being a backup. I learned a lot from it and I feel more ready to go this year."
Grier made two starts to end last season and struggled greatly, going 28-52 for 228 yards, with four interceptions.
Now, Grier will be a back up again after the team brought in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to be the starter. The Panthers also signed free agent P.J. Walker from the XFL to compete for the backup role.
But Grier has a completely new mindset.
"My thing for camp has been me against me," Grier said. "There's a lot of things I learned last year with my experience that I had to get better on and I worked on this offseason. It doesn't happen overnight, but I've liked my process and feel more confident and it's a work in progress."
Through the first three weeks of training camp, Grier has already shown that he's improved, looking a lot more accurate and making a handful of impressive plays.
Head coach Matt Rhule said the job for backup quarterback has gotten closer with Grier's performance the last week or so.
"Through the first week of camp, I would've said P.J. would've been a little ahead, but Will has battled back," Rhule said on Thursday.
That could be in part just by learning about the NFL more after his rookie season.
"The game definitely has slowed down. It's just time, experience and reps," Grier said. "I'm seeing the field a lot better this season for a variety of different reasons. I feel more confident and I think the experience last year was good for just going into the offseason. It gave me a lot more to learn from and to build off of. I was able to be specific on what I was doing in the offseason in order to get better.
“Obviously, I'm learning a new offense again but it has come faster to me than it did last year. I think part of that is just learning a new offense last year I went into this year knowing the important things to learn it fast and being comfortable in practice. … It’s kind of a ripple effect."
A lot of that work was able to happen with Grier's dad, Chad, who was his coach in high school at Davidson Day and who is currently the head coach at Providence Day.
"I kind of had to press the reset button and get back to the basics and fundamentals," Grier said. "I worked with my dad on accuracy just really taking it back to the fundamentals of football and building from there.
“I needed work in all aspects of my game. I wasn't happy with the way I performed last year when I got my opportunity and it really set things off in my brain and I just took a 180 (degrees)."
As Grier has improved on the field, he also can look back and be thankful that he had those struggles last year.
Even though there is a new coaching staff, he believes the Panthers knew the difficulties would push him more.
"When you're in that position in any quarterback room, you can go from the 3 to the 1 really quick. You really just don't know," Grier said. "I didn't really understand and obviously this is the first time I've ever been a backup and there's a lot of things that go with that, that I learned. That's part of the experience and part of my personal journey and growth and my career. I'm glad it happened and glad I got the experience. It made me better and that was maybe their goal of it last year to challenge me and make it better. I've used it as experience to grow."
Rhule didn't have the chance to see Grier last year to know how he's grown, but he's already seen the accountability.
"I've liked his level of maturity, work-ethic and his ability to take responsibility when things go wrong," Rhule said. "What people want from a leader is when things go wrong they say 'I did it.' I think Will takes responsibility for everything he does, which allows him to get better and he's done a lot of great things on the field. …
“Where's he gonna be in three weeks or three months? I think he's going to be in a really good place if he continues to stay on this very focused, very diligent path that he's on."
With Bridgewater set to be Carolina's starting quarterback, he's been the perfect guy to help teach Grier that a quarterback always has to be ready.
Before Bridgewater went 5-0 with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 after Drew Brees went down with an injury, he wasn't prepared to be thrown into the game, and he used that as a learning example for Grier and Walker.
"Being in this league and trying to learn from other people is huge in your own development," Grier said. "Hearing Teddy talk about his experience in New Orleans has been great. It goes back to battling with yourself every day. How can I continue to get better and stay ready? You really don't know when your number will be called and that's the nature of the business. You always have to prepare like you're gonna play and that's easier said than done but that's my job here and part of the process. It was my first time doing it last year and I have some experience now on how to attack each game and week."
Grier came into the league behind Newton and Allen last year, but both are no longer with the team and Grier has already been very impressed with what Bridgewater has brings to the team.
"The depth of his knowledge of the game has been really impressive and I've learned a lot from him already," Grier said. "Just watching film with him I've learned a lot about what he thinks of the game and I've been impressed watching how he attacks the day and the meeting room. At the quarterback position that is so important.
“He's a talented guy and there's a lot of guys that can throw the ball well but he really takes it to the next level on the mental side. He's very sharp, knows his reads, knows where he wants guys and knows his defense. That's the kind of stuff that makes a great quarterback and starter in this league. That's what I'm trying to learn and implement in my game."
Only time will tell if Grier gets much playing time this year, but one thing is for sure with this new mindset, a new leader and a new coaching staff, Grier will be much more prepared than last.
"Our identity is still kind of growing and we're still trying to learn what that is this year," he said. "I pride myself on being able to do anything and at the end of the day, Teddy is the starter and it's about him and what he's comfortable with and I'm comfortable with anything.
“I have to be ready to go if my number is called and that's the way I treat it."