Part of the reason why the Carolina Panthers kept Baker Mayfield in a quarterback competition with Sam Darnold was so that he could earn the respect of his new teammates. And, obviously, he has.
On Wednesday, we got some direct confirmation of that—as a pair of the team’s wideouts hit the podium for some post-practice pressers. Terrace Marshall Jr. gave his two cents first, stating that the guys have already taken well to Mayfield.
“Baker’s a great leader,” Marshall Jr. said. “He’s a great quarterback. I feel like the team’s attracted to him well. And ready to get started.”
Fellow second-year receiver Shi Smith had a similar sentiment, even though he hadn’t seen much of Mayfield prior to him arriving in Carolina.
“To be honest, like, I didn’t really watch him like that when he wasn’t my teammate,” Smith said with a smile. “But I knew he had it in him, as far as coming out of college and stuff. I remember the stuff he did. I knew he had that dog mentality in him. Now, I know he wanna win.”
The Panthers will get a chance to win on Friday, when they’ll see some action against the visiting Buffalo Bills. And although it’s just a preseason contest, this game could be one that sets the tone from here on out—for Mayfield, Marshall Jr., Smith and the rest of the offense.
