What Panthers coach Matt Rhule said about Mayfield, Darnold and signing a pass rusher
Welcome to the unknown world of Carolina Panthers quarterbacks.
On Thursday, the Panthers concluded Day 2 of training camp, with their onboarding process for quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield completed.
Don’t expect a winner of this quarterback competition to emerge any time soon.
“We’re nowhere near the point of evaluating who’s where. This was Baker’s second practice ever with us. I can’t really evaluate that yet,” coach Matt Rhule said. “I would expect to see things pretty much 50-50 for the immediate future. At some point, we’ll make some decisions. But I think that’s a long way off.”
Organized chaos is a ladder either Mayfield or Darnold will climb. QB1 status sits at the summit. But the Panthers were never going to favor either quarterback after just two practices.
This is all a part of the plan.
“The first few days, let’s get them off to a good start,” Rhule said. “And we’ll make some decisions, not about the competition, but about how do we want to divide the reps up. It’s not an easy thing to divide the reps up.”
Carolina’s hornet’s nest of a quarterback room requires delicate planning. The eventual starter needs enough reps to be Week 1 ready. Mayfield and Darnold are mentally at different junctures in the playbook. Their skill sets, tendencies and strengths all vary.
And don’t forget about the rookie in the room.
Going forward, the Panthers will rotate Darnold and Mayfield evenly with the first team. Think of this as a QB1 and QBA situation.
Mayfield bounced back on Day 2 working with the first team after a shaky opening practice. He threw five touchdowns (like Darnold did Wednesday) and looked in sync with receiver DJ Moore, who caught two Mayfield touchdowns and earned five targets.
Darnold remained steady. He did nothing to excite onlookers at Wofford College, but made no notable mistakes.
New signings coming soon
Carolina started camp with a deep and experienced cornerback room. That lasted one day. The team placed second-year cornerback Jaycee Horn on the active PUP list (joining linebacker Shaq Thompson) on Wednesday after he reported soreness in his surgically repaired right foot following conditioning testing.
Then, Rashaan Melvin, 32, decided to retire before reporting to camp. Suddenly, Carolina needs some cornerback depth.
“Scott (Fitterer) is going to address that,” Rhule said of the general manager. “He’s been looking at who’s out there on the market. So we’ll see who’s available. We’ll probably bring some guys in for a workout tomorrow.”
During Panthers’ practice, free agent pass rusher Carlos Dunlap agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dunlap had a two-day visit with the Panthers in June but left Bank of America Stadium without a deal. Carolina stayed in touch with Dunlap but an agreement never materialized.
Rhule said the team will keep monitoring the open market, but the Panthers are in no rush to sign an edge rusher.
“We like the guys that we have. (Brian) Burns, (Marquis) Haynes, Yetur (Gross-Matos), we liked that group,” Rhule said. “We’ll keep an eye on other guys if they pop open as they’re available. But it’s not a major need that we feel panicked about.”
Finding the best five
The Panthers remade their offensive line this offseason. By drafting Ikem Ekwonu No. 6 overall and signing Austin Corbett and Bradly Bozeman, the Panthers could have three of their five offensive linemen replaced.
Ekwonu is rotating between guard and tackle along with Brady Christensen. Bozeman and Pat Elflein are alternating at center, while Michael Jordan earned some left guard reps, too.
Carolina has options upfront.
“l like the group, and I think there’s really good competition on the offensive line,” Rhule said. “There’s a bunch of guys that are going to make the team but who the starting five are, that that’ll be interesting. We have to compete that out.”
Notes
▪ Rhule said the team’s first day in full pads will be Monday. Players have been practicing in helmets and shorts (or pants for Mayfield on Wednesday) as part of the NFL’s acclimation period.
▪ Speaking of pants, Mayfield practiced in shorts on Thursday. He admitted after Wednesday’s practice it was silly for him to wear long clothing while practicing in the heat of Spartanburg.
▪ Wide receiver Robby Anderson and cornerback Donte Jackson had a heated exchange after a goal-line fade route intended for No. 3 fell incomplete. Jackson was in coverage and let Anderson hear about his stickiness, though Mayfield threw the ball away. The back and forth carried briefly into the next drill as Mayfield ran over to pull Anderson toward the offense as Jackson celebrated and barked with his defensive teammates.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 5:41 PM.
