Panthers officially name Baker Mayfield starting quarterback for Week 1 against Browns

With just over three weeks to go until the start of the 2022 NFL season, the Panthers declared the winner of their offseason quarterback competition, officially naming Baker Mayfield their starter for Week 1. Acquired via trade in July, Mayfield faced former first-round pick Sam Darnold for Carolina’s top spot. Now, the former Browns signalman is set to face his old team when Carolina hosts Cleveland to kick off the new year on Sept. 11.

“When we started this process, we were looking at three things,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said in a team statement. “Number one, mastery of attack; number two, excellence in situational football; and number three, moving the ball and involving the guys. That’s been our goal from the start. Baker has made a lot of improvements, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short time.”

Neither Mayfield nor Darnold got extensive action in the preseason, with both QBs missing in Friday’s loss to the Patriots and combining for just 10 shots in Carolina’s opener against the Commanders. But the two veterans have spent the entire summer battling it out on the training ground, with Rhule splitting first-team reps between Mayfield and Darnold to open training camp.

“From the beginning, we felt we needed a really strong quarterback room and every quarterback ready to play,” Rhule said Monday. “The reality of this league is that most teams will face multiple quarterbacks. Sam has worked incredibly hard, played very well for us during training camp and will be ready to go if and when needed.”

The Panthers anticipated Darnold’s demotion when they traded a conditional fifth-round pick for Mayfield in early July. While Darnold will cost Carolina more in 2022 after the Browns absorbed the majority of Mayfield’s deal to offload their former starter, Mayfield is the most accomplished QB in the NFL, two years from a final 11-5 and a playoff run with Cleveland. Darnold struggled when healthy in 2021, having arrived via trade from the Jets, before the Panthers reunited with Cam Newton for an emergency change of plans at QB.

PJ Walker, who has spent the past two seasons as a reserve, is tentatively set to serve as the Panthers’ No. 3 QB after the third-round rookie suffered a potentially season-ending Lisfranc injury in the pre- season.