There were a number of things that caused the Carolina Panthers to play poorly last season and finish 5-12.
To name a few: The offensive line was horrendous. The coaching staff hasn’t been able to generate offense when Christian McCaffrey is injured. And the quarterback play was among the worst in professional football.
Since the offseason began, coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer made it a point to fix the offensive line in free agency and the draft. They’ve done a good job with that.
They also drafted quarterback Matt Corral in the third round — a player they considered taking with the sixth pick before the top three offensive tackles fell down the draft boards and into their hands.
But while McCaffrey is healthy, and the offensive line looks fixed, quarterback, at least for this year, may still be an issue and could hold the Panthers back.
Corral, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, could win the quarterback battle in camp over Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker. But if the season were to begin today, Darnold would be the starter, Rhule and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo have said.
And given his struggles throughout his career, that prospect is one the Panthers should not take a chance on.
The Panthers either need to play Corral if he’s ready and see what they have long term, or acquire a veteran quarterback on a one- or two-year rental.
In four seasons, Darnold has thrown 54 touchdowns and 52 interceptions, has completed just under 60 percent of his passes, and has a 76.9 passer rating. He is 17-32 as a starter, and his last two seasons have been his worst. He has displayed poor mechanics and has thrown 18 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in 24 games with the Jets and Panthers since 2020.
The Panthers won their first three games of the 2021 season with Darnold at quarterback and with a healthy McCaffrey. But all three of the teams the Panthers beat missed the playoffs, and two of those teams — the Jets and the Texans — were among the worst in the NFL.
While Fitterer said he was happy with the current quarterback room after Corral’s addition, he also said he wouldn’t completely shut the door on acquiring a veteran quarterback.
“I would never put an absolute on anything,” he said last month.
But acquiring one via trade is less likely now.
The Panthers had conversations with the Browns during the draft last month, according to two sources with knowledge of those discussions. But those conversations didn’t get far because the two parties couldn’t agree on the right price.
In a trade, Carolina wanted Cleveland to pay the majority of Mayfield’s $18.9 million guaranteed salary, somewhere in the range of $13-14 million. Those conversations stalled and Carolina traded up to get Corral, who was their favorite quarterback in the 2022 draft class, with the 94th pick. They also strongly considered quarterback Sam Howell, two sources said. Neither Kenny Pickett nor Malik Willis were under serious consideration.
The trade into the third round, though, and Fitterer’s comments that he was happy with the quarterback room, sent a message to the Browns that Carolina “doesn’t need to make a trade.”
And perhaps the Panthers don’t. Perhaps the Browns get desperate and cut him.
But if the Panthers want to compete for a playoff spot, they need an upgrade at quarterback, even if it is a one-year rental. Rhule has said he’d like Corral to sit and learn before playing, to not ruin a rookie in his first year.
“You owe it to the guys in this locker room, though, to play whoever we think gives us the best chance to win,” he said earlier this month at rookie minicamp. “As we sit here today, there’s no question right now that Sam Darnold gives us the best chance to win. We’ll continue to watch (Corral’s) development. We’ll look for veterans to come in and compete. We’ll look at the rookies and we’ll make that decision.”
Finding a veteran rental who is an upgrade would allow Corral to sit and develop.
Mayfield seems like the best, and most likely option over San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo even if Panthers receiver Robbie Anderson isn’t thrilled with the idea of Mayfield coming to Charlotte.
But Garoppolo’s recent shoulder surgery, as well as his injury history, is a far greater concern for some within the organization. The Panthers want no part of his $26.9 million salary, and the 49ers haven’t shown a willingness to take to carry those payments in a trade.
The Panthers are open to signing quarterback Cam Newton, but he would not enter camp as the starter, and would have to agree to a smaller salary.
Discussions with the Browns and other teams will likely continue, but the Panthers are more likely to wait until the Browns potentially cut Mayfield to pick him up, sources have said.
That would be a best-case scenario for Carolina and the worst for Cleveland, who traded for Deshaun Watson and guaranteed him a five-year $230 million deal in March.
Carolina likely isn’t the only team keeping an eye on Mayfield, who threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games in 2021.
Seattle and Atlanta could use a starting quarterback, too.
With the offensive line improvements, and the inevitable progression of some of their young stars, the Panthers will enter this season with the best roster they have had in the past four seasons. Rhule will have the most talent he has had since he was hired in January 2020.
“I think we have a team that should expect to win,” Rhule said earlier this month. “We’ve built, and you’ve heard me use words like ‘process.’ Where our roster is right now, I like our team.”
But the difference in them competing for a playoff spot and competing for one of the top picks in the 2023 draft will depend on who they have at quarterback.
A panel of 80 ESPN reporters, analysts and television personalities ranked the Panthers 32nd in their NFL post-draft power rankings for a reason — the biggest being that they don’t have the quarterback position fixed yet.
And while Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall pick, was average last season (he was also 6-7 as a starter) he’s an upgrade.
And an upgrade is needed for the Panthers to avoid another losing season, or they could be in this same situation again in 2023.
