Panthers Laying Groundwork for Another Disastrous Season at QB

Terrible quarterback performances led to the Carolina Panthers' underwhelming performances last year. Things seemed brighter heading into the 2022 NFL season after trading for Baker Mayfield, however, it looks like the team is laying the groundwork for another disastrous season at the position.

Though Mayfield is the Panthers' best option under center, there's still a lot of indecision going around. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo told reporters on Tuesday that coaches don't want to be "instant evaluators" when it comes to the QB competition, frustrating fans in the process.

Panthers QB Rumors

It's just hard to fathom why the Panthers won't commit to Mayfield just yet. Indecisiveness led to a carousal in the QB room last year, resulting in Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and P.J. Walker splitting Carolina's 17 starts. None of the trio could build momentum and it looks like the Panthers could be heading in that direction again.

Mayfield's 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions in 14 games was far from his best campaign, however, it was still better than any of the Panthers' QBs. The fact that he accomplished that while playing with a torn labrum indicates that he'll even be further ahead of the competition now that he's healthy.

There isn't much reason for the Panthers to consider Darnold as the starter. If they had faith in him, they likely wouldn't have acquired Mayfield in the first place. Besides, he's had four seasons to live up to his status as a former third overall pick and has failed each time.

It also appears as if the Panthers are strongly considering rookie Matt Corral for the starting QB role too. McAdoo said that the 2022 third-round pick is "slowly and quietly improving" and "has a unique skill set."

Even if Corral's future is promising, there's no reason to throw him into the fire when the Panthers are expected to be among the worst teams this season. It'd be more beneficial to let Mayfield lead the way while Corral spends a campaign or two developing into an NFL-ready quarterback.

At the end of the day, it'd be wise for the Panthers to commit to a quarterback as soon as possible. Not only will it cut down on unwanted distractions, but it'd provide the team with the kind of stability that was sorely missed last year.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.