Baker Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers on July 6 and beat Sam Darnold in the quarterback competition a month later. When Mayfield returns from injury, though, he will find himself in another position battle if he wants to retain the starting job.
The 27-year-old quarterback suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, with head coach Matt Rhule fired a day later. While Mayfield hoped to play through the injury, Carolina ruled him out days before its matchup against the Los Angeles Rams and started P.J. Walker in his place.
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While there is no precise timetable for when Mayfield returns, David Newton of ESPN reported Monday that the former No. 1 overall pick was walking around the locker room without a walking boot. It’s a positive sign in his recovery, indicating that he could return to the field very soon. However, starting quarterback job won’t be handed to him immediately.
Meeting with reporters on Monday, interim head coach Steve Wilks disclosed that Mayfield will not automatically return to the lineup when he is cleared to play. Instead, he will compete with Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Jacob Eason to be the starting quarterback.
“I can’t give you that answer, but I can tell you right now those guys [in the quarterback room] are going to compete at that position just as well as other positions do to see who exactly goes out there on Sunday
Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks on whether or not Baker Mayfield can return as starting quarterback
The coaching change has already resulted in significant changes. A day after Wilks kicked Robbie Anderson off the field during the game, Carolina traded him to the Arizona Cardinals. Now, the quarterback that Rhule signed off on acquiring finds himself in a quarterback competition for the second time since arriving in July.
Why Baker Mayfield needs to compete for starting job
Before suffering the high-ankle sprain, Mayfield was one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL this year. He currently ranks 32nd in completion rate (54.9%), 33rd in passer rating (71.9) and last in ESPN QBR (15.5). Widely viewed as an upgrade over Darnold at the time of the trade, Mayfield has been significantly worse than the Panthers’ starting quarterback in 2021.
- Sam Darnold stats (2021): 59.9% completion rate, 9-13 TD-INT, 6.2 ypa, 210.6 pass ypg, 71.9 passer rating, 38.8 QBR
- Baker Mayfield stats (2022): 54.9% completion rate, 4-4 TD-INT, 6.3 ypa, 192.4 pass ypg, 71.9 passer rating, 15.5 QBR
Darnold, the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, remains on injured reserve. He is also dealing with a significant ankle injury, but there is a belief that he is moving toward a return.
With Darnold and Mayfield inactive, Carolina relied on Walker in Week 6. He left Sunday’s game with a neck injury and the status of the former XFL star is uncertain for the upcoming Week 7 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he is also unable to play, Jacob Eason would take over as the starting quarterback.
