The worst-kept secret in Carolina was finally, officially unveiled on Monday:
The Panthers have named Baker Mayfield as the team’s starting quarterback, relegating former Jets acquisition Sam Darnold to a backup role for as long as the team decides to keep him on the roster. It’s uncertain whether Carolina will attempt to hold onto Donald as a QB2, or attempt to deal him to another team.
It also remains to be seen whether Donald would want out of Carolina after failing to hold onto the starting role in preseason camp. Those questions and more will be answered in the weeks leading up to the Panthers’ Week 1 game.
That game, of course, is at home vs. the Browns — who traded Mayfield (and $10 million in cap relief) to the Panthers. That will be among the biggest storylines in Week 1 of the season, though there are more questions to answer in the now-decided QB battle.
MORE: QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | Buy NFL tickets
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about Mayfield winning the QB1 role, and what that means for Darnold moving forward:
Why did Panthers name Baker Mayfield starting QB?
Panthers coach Matt Rhule said the team based its quarterback battle on three factors, all of which allowed Mayfield to separate himself from Darnold.
“When we started this process, we were looking at three things,” Rhule said in the team statement. “No. 1, mastery of the offense, No. 2, situational football excellence, and No. 3, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That’s been our focus all along.
“Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time.”
Rhule likely did not base his decision off the players’ preseason game performance. The only stats Mayfield or Darnold logged came in the preseason Week 1 game vs. the Commanders: Mayfield completed 4 of 7 passes for 45 yards, but fumbled a snap from the center in the 23-21 loss. Darnold was 2 of 3 passing for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Both led scoring drives in limited action.
That said, Mayfield has had more success on the field with the Browns than Darnold had with the Jets or Panthers. Mayfield is 29-30 as a starter, completing 61.6 percent of his passes for 14,125 yards and 92 touchdowns to 56 interceptions.
Darnold’s stat line is not nearly as impressive: 17-32 record as a starter — including 4-7 in Carolina — a 59.8 career completion percentage, 10,624 passing yards and 54 touchdowns to 52 interceptions.
MORE: Matt Rhule leads NFL coaches on hot seat for 2022 season
What’s next for Sam Darnold?
That is the big question for Rhule and Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer. For now, it seems as if he will keep Darnold on the team as the team’s primary backup.
“All along, we’ve felt like we need to have a really strong quarterback room, and have every quarterback ready to play,” Rhule said, via the Panthers. “The reality of this league is most teams will play multiple quarterbacks.
“Sam has worked incredibly hard, played really well for us during training camp, and will be ready to go if and when it’s needed.”
That makes sense, considering the trade market for Darnold likely is limited, if it even exists. Only two teams are in desperate need of a quarterback: the Browns and Seahawks.
Cleveland, which will be without Deshaun Watson for an 11-game suspension, likely wouldn’t trade for a player who couldn’t beat out the player they traded to Carolina. (Moreover, reports indicate the team would trade for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo over any other quarterback.)
Seattle’s quarterback battle isn’t particularly compelling between Drew Lock or Geno Smith, and it’s uncertain whether Darnold could add much to that competition.
MORE: Dominate your league with our 2022 fantasy football cheat sheet
Panthers quarterback depth chart
Following the Panthers’ announcement, the quarterback depth chart will see Mayfield in the top spot, followed by Darnold and P.J. Walker in the backup and No. 3 spots. Third-round pick Matt Corral suffered what is described as a season-ending Lisfranc injury and will not be on the active roster in 2022.
| Player (position) | Place on depth chart |
|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | 1 |
| Sam Darnold | 2 |
| P.J. Walker | 3 |
| Matt Corral | Injured reserve |
| Davis Cheek | Practice squad |
The Sporting News has joined with TicketSmarter in an exclusive partnership to provide tickets for sporting events in the U.S. and Canada. Fans can go to TicketSmarter with this link and use code TSN15 to take $15 off orders of $100 or more before fees and shipping.
Hits: 0
