Baker Mayfield is officially back in the saddle.
After being acquired by the Carolina Panthers to compete with Sam Darnold for the starting quarterback position, the former Heisman winner was announced as the starter by the team on Monday morning.
Confirmed ✅
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 22, 2022
After a 3-0 start with Darnold under center last year, the Panthers quickly flamed out. Carolina finished 5-12 and ended the season with a seven-game losing streak. Cam Newton and PJ Walker started at QB at certain points last season.
The Panthers have interesting pieces on offense for Mayfield to work with. Christian McCaffrey is always a threat coming out of the backfield, and D.J. Moore and Robbie Anderson are solid receiving threats.
A big issue for Carolina last year was its offensive line. The team addressed this by selecting North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth overall pick to stabilize the left tackle position.
The Panthers will play Mayfield’s former team, the Cleveland Browns, in Week 1. With Deshaun Watson serving an 11-game suspension, Jacoby Brissett will be Mayfield’s opponent.
After a long road back from his injuries last season, Mayfield has earned the fresh start he’s been working toward since requesting a trade out of Cleveland.
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