The Carolina Panthers have been telling us, at least for the better part of this offseason, that they want themselves a competition under center. And now that they’ve declared one, how much of a competition will it be?
According to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe, not much of one.
Wolfe recently spoke with Andrew Siciliano and Judy Battista about the team’s upcoming training camp battle at the position between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. And he believes the former, even despite the latter’s reported improvement during the break, has the advantage.
“. . . I’ve talked to people in that building who’ve talked about Sam Darnold having a strong offseason before they traded for Baker Mayfield,” Wolfe said. “But let’s be real—the Panthers did not trade for Baker Mayfield if they felt cozy with Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback. So the expectation is this is Baker’s job to lose.”
Sounds about right.
Head coach Matt Rhule and his regime got their looks at Darnold throughout organized team activities and minicamp during the spring and summer. Had they been confident enough to roll with 2018’s third overall pick, their move for 2018’s first overall pick probably wouldn’t have materialized.
Alas, we are here. And soon enough, we may be watching Mayfield lead his Panthers into the 2022 regular season on a fiery note.
“And I know we’re not supposed to root for much here as reporters, but I’m rooting for spicy Baker,” Wolfe added in reference to Carolina’s Week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. “I’m rooting for petty Baker. I’m rooting for him to say everything that’s on his mind that week and have the game of his life, because what a storyline that would be.”
What a storyline indeed.
